Fancy serial number checker
Enter a US note serial and this checks it against every collector pattern the hobby has a name for, then tells you the odds — computed from the 99,999,999 serials that can be issued in a run, not copied from another site.
Every pattern this checks, and how often each one occurs
A run of notes carries serial numbers 00000001 through 99999999 — 99,999,999 of them, because 00000000 is never issued. That makes rarity a counting problem rather than an opinion. Each count below is the number of serials in a full run that match the pattern.
| Pattern | Example | In a run | Odds | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pi note The first eight digits of pi. | 31415926 | 1 | 1 in 99,999,999 | Mid-market |
| e note The first eight digits of e. | 27182818 | 1 | 1 in 99,999,999 | Mid-market |
| Perfect ascending ladder Only three exist per run — arguably scarcer than a solid. | 12345678 | 3 | 1 in 33,333,333 | Trophy |
| Perfect descending ladder Only three exist per run. | 87654321 | 3 | 1 in 33,333,333 | Trophy |
| Run-through ascending ladder Ascends but wraps past 9 to 0. A clear step below a true ladder. | 67890123 | 7 | 1 in 14,285,714 | Major |
| Run-through descending ladder Descends and wraps past 0 to 9. | 32109876 | 7 | 1 in 14,285,714 | Major |
| Ascending quad double Four matching pairs stepping up. | 11223344 | 7 | 1 in 14,285,714 | Major |
| Descending quad double Four matching pairs stepping down. | 44332211 | 7 | 1 in 14,285,714 | Major |
| Solid All eight digits identical. Only nine exist in a full run. | 77777777 | 9 | 1 in 11,111,111 | Trophy |
| Extremely low serial Single-digit serial. Number 1 is the most prized number in the hobby. | 00000001 | 9 | 1 in 11,111,111 | Trophy |
| True binary radar Palindrome using only 0 and 1. Fourteen exist in a full run, which is solid-and-ladder territory. | 10100101 | 14 | 1 in 7,142,857 | Trophy |
| Super radar Palindrome whose six interior digits are identical. Often several times a plain radar. | 12222221 | 90 | 1 in 1,111,111 | Major |
| Binary radar repeater Palindrome and repeater at once, on two digits. | 61166116 | 90 | 1 in 1,111,111 | Major |
| Double quad Two blocks of four identical digits. Visually striking with a solid market. | 11112222 | 90 | 1 in 1,111,111 | Major |
| Very low serial Double-digit serial. | 00000042 | 90 | 1 in 1,111,111 | Major |
| Super repeater A two-digit unit repeated four times. | 12121212 | 99 | 1 in 1,010,101 | Mid-market |
| Million serial An exact millionth note. A PMG-recognised pedigree. | 01000000 | 99 | 1 in 1,010,101 | Major |
| Seven in a row Seven matching digits with the odd one at an end — the cleaner of the two forms. | 07777777 | 180 | 1 in 555,556 | Mid-market |
| True binary Only 0s and 1s. The "looks like code" appeal makes these marketable. | 10110010 | 254 | 1 in 393,701 | Mid-market |
| Seven of a kind Seven matching digits, odd one in the interior. | 77177777 | 540 | 1 in 185,185 | Mid-market |
| Rotator Reads as the same number turned 180 degrees. This match depends on the digit 1, which PMG counts but some collectors exclude. | 69869869 | 624 | 1 in 160,256 | Mid-market |
| Binary radar Palindrome using only two digits. | 83833838 | 630 | 1 in 158,730 | Mid-market |
| Low serial Three-digit serial. Real, though dealers call these tricky to move. | 00000314 | 900 | 1 in 111,111 | Mid-market |
| High serial Near the true production ceiling for this denomination. | 95999500 | 1,000 | 1 in 100,000 | Entry fancy |
| Four-digit serial The collector cutoff sits here — rarely over face unless the number itself means something. | 00001963 | 9,000 | 1 in 11,111 | Named only |
| Radar Reads the same forwards and backwards. Widely recognised, and common. | 15788751 | 9,999 | 1 in 10,001 | Entry fancy |
| Repeater First four digits repeat as the last four. | 12341234 | 9,999 | 1 in 10,001 | Entry fancy |
| Quad double Four consecutive matching pairs. Mild. | 11446633 | 9,999 | 1 in 10,001 | Named only |
| Binary Exactly two distinct digits. | 74774774 | 11,430 | 1 in 8,749 | Entry fancy |
| Six of a kind Six matching digits. Common enough that the premium is thin. | 66666612 | 22,680 | 1 in 4,409 | Entry fancy |
| Three-three bookends First three digits repeat as the last three. | 12345123 | 99,999 | 1 in 1,000 | Named only |
| Trinary Exactly three distinct digits. At 1 in 143 this is not rare — usually face value. | 79557977 | 695,520 | 1 in 144 | Face value |
| Two-two bookends First two digits repeat as the last two. Trivially common. | 47138247 | 999,999 | 1 in 100 | Face value |
| All unique digits Eight distinct digits. Not a fancy serial; included as a fact. | 13579024 | 1,814,400 | 1 in 55 | Face value |
Six of these families have a page of their own, with the derivation and the variants that sit above and below them: radar, repeater, ladder, solid, binary and low serial numbers.
Rarity and price are different axes
A broken pattern that occurs 826 times can be harder to sell than a radar that occurs 9,999 times, because a buyer has to recognise a pattern before they will pay for it. The standing column is our read of market recognition; the odds column is arithmetic. Where the two disagree, trust the arithmetic and discount the price.
The tiers
- Trophy Perfect ascending ladder, Perfect descending ladder, Solid, Extremely low serial, True binary radar
- Major Run-through ascending ladder, Run-through descending ladder, Ascending quad double, Descending quad double, Super radar, Binary radar repeater, Double quad, Very low serial, Million serial
- Mid-market Pi note, e note, Super repeater, Seven in a row, True binary, Seven of a kind, Rotator, Binary radar, Low serial
- Entry fancy High serial, Radar, Repeater, Binary, Six of a kind
- Named only Four-digit serial, Quad double, Three-three bookends
- Face value Trinary, Two-two bookends, All unique digits
Reading the letters, not just the digits
Most checkers accept eight digits and nothing else, which throws away half of what is printed on the note. The letters carry the district, the series year and the star — how to read a serial number goes through every part with a decoder.
- $1 and $2 print one letter before the digits. It is the Federal Reserve district: A is Boston, B is New York, L is San Francisco.
- $5 and above have printed two letters since Series 1996. The first is the series, the second is the district. One letter on a $10 means Series 1995 or earlier.
- O and Z never appear. O reads as a zero, and Z is held back for test printings. A serial containing either is misread or not genuine.
- A star replaces the trailing letter on a replacement note. Star notes are printed in far smaller quantities, though the size of an individual run varies from 8,000 notes to 25 million — the star note lookup finds which run a serial belongs to.
Questions
What is a fancy serial number?
A fancy serial number is any eight-digit note serial with a pattern collectors recognise and pay for: all eight digits the same, digits running in sequence, a number that reads the same backwards, a repeated block, or a very low number. Patterns that are merely unusual are not fancy — the market has to have a name for it.
How rare is a fancy serial number?
Exactly 99,999,999 serials can be issued in a full run, so the odds are countable rather than estimated. A radar occurs 9,999 times, or 1 in 10,001. A solid occurs 9 times, or 1 in 11.1 million. A trinary occurs 695,520 times, which is 1 in 144 and worth nothing.
Does a fancy serial number make a bill valuable?
Sometimes, and less often than collector forums suggest. Tier matters more than rarity: a radar at 1 in 10,001 sells readily because every collector recognises it, while a rarer but obscure pattern may not find a buyer at all. Condition matters as much again — a fancy serial on a soft, folded note loses most of its premium.
What do the letters on a serial number mean?
On a $1 or $2 the single letter before the digits is the Federal Reserve district that issued the note. On a $5 and above, printed since Series 1996, the first letter is the series and the second is the district. A star in place of the trailing letter means the note is a replacement, printed to replace a sheet spoiled in production.
Found a pattern and want a number rather than a name? Look up what a serial is worth — that tool asks for condition and answers in dollars, including when the honest answer is face value.
Every count on this page is generated by running the detector itself, so the table and the tool cannot disagree. The derivations are on the methodology page.