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'An Absolute Prize': Rare Great Depression $10,000 Bill Sells For Nearly $500,000 The $10,000 bill is from 1934 and was never in circulation.

By Madeline Garfinkle

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

It's true that many things accrue value with age — even money.

A rare $10,000 bill from 1934, dating back to the Great Depression, sold at auction last week for almost half a million dollars.

The bill featuring President Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, was sold for $480,000 at the Long Beach Expo U.S. Coins Signature Auction in Dallas, hosted by Heritage Auctions. The sale surpasses the former $384,000 record-high of a similar bill that sold in September 2020.

The $10,000 bill features Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase. Heritage Auctions.

This $10,000 bill was also never in circulation, according to the Heritage Auction listing, and was discontinued along with other high-denomination currency notes in 1969. The $100 bill has since become the highest-denomination note issued in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Engraving & Printing.

Dustin Johnston, vice president of currency at Heritage Auctions, noted in a press release on Monday that large-denomination notes have "always" attracted collectors' interest.

"This is an absolute prize that will command a share of the spotlight in its new collection home," Johnston added.

Related: Woman Buys $4 Painting at Thrift Store, Finds Out It's an Authentic N.C. Wyeth and Sells For $191,000

The $10,000 note is certified by Paper Money Guaranty (PMG) and received an Exceptional Paper Quality (EPQ) grade.

Madeline Garfinkle

News Writer

Madeline Garfinkle is a News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate from Syracuse University, and received an MFA from Columbia University. 

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