$2 star notes
A star at the end of the serial means the note replaced a sheet spoiled during printing. On a $2, whether that is worth anything depends entirely on the size of the run it came from, and $2 runs range from 8,000 notes to 3,200,000.
Look up the print run for this star note. Enter the serial and it identifies the exact run, its size, and whether that makes it scarce.
What the data says about $2 star notes
| Runs indexed | 33 |
|---|---|
| Districts covered | 12 |
| Smallest run | 8,000 notes |
| Typical run | 128,000 notes |
| Largest run | 3,200,000 notes |
| Scarce by run size | 18 of 33 |
| Common | 6 of 33 |
More $2 star runs clear the scarcity bar than fail it, which is unusual, since most denominations are the other way round. The scarcest recorded is the Series 2003 San Francisco, CA run of 8,000 notes.
Why $2 star notes are different
$2 notes are printed in far smaller quantities than any other denomination, and their replacement runs shrink in proportion. That makes the $2 the one denomination where a star is genuinely worth checking as a matter of course rather than as a long shot. 18 of its 33 indexed runs are small enough to qualify as scarce.
It does not make every $2 star valuable. Run sizes still span 8,000 to 3,200,000 notes, and a $2 star from the large end is worth about what any $2 is worth. The $2 serial number page covers the rest of what can make a $2 worth more than $2.
The rule that decides it
A run of 640,000 notes or fewer is the collector threshold, but only counts if no larger run exists for the same denomination, series and district. When a larger run exists, collectors source from that one instead and the small run's premium never appears. That conditioning is why some small $2 runs rank as only moderately scarce.
The full explanation, the tier definitions and the lookup itself are on the star note lookup.