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How to Cash in a Silver Certificate

The history of Silver Certificate paper dollars dates back to 1878, when they were created by an act of the U.S. Congress. Silver Certificates were originally printed in various denominations up to $1,000, but were limited to $1, $5 and $10 values after 1896. People who possessed them could, if they wished, turn them into banks and redeem them for silver dollars. The last print run of Silver Certificates were printed in 1968 and, in 1970, the U.S. Treasury Department only printed Federal Reserve Notes. Before cashing in your Silver Certificates, you need to determine the value, which can be done several ways.

Things You'll Need

Collector's guidebook or website information

Instructions

- 1
  Do research to find the value of your Silver Certificates. Go to your local library and look through their collection of value guides to determine how much your bills are worth. Visit a local book seller and purchase a guidebook that lists values for older money. Go to an online site that lists Silver Certificate valuations to see your collection's value. (See Resources.)
- 2
  Go to a local hobby shop that specializes in collectible coins and paper money; the staff will review your Silver Certificates and let you know how much they are worth -- to them. Sell the shop your bills if they make you an offer that you feel is reasonable.
- 3
  Look in your local newspaper or local online classified websites for collectors who may be interested in purchasing your Silver Certificates to add to your collection. Contact any who seem legitimate and arrange for a viewing of your bills, and accept the person's offer if it meets your needs.
- 4
  Go to the bank to cash in your Silver Certificates for face value if you determine that their value is not above what is shown of the face of the bills; the bank will only trade them in for cash, as the process of trading them for silver dollars was halted by the government in 1964.

Other Collecting