Man Spots Something Very Unusual About $20 Bill He Draws Out of ATM

An ordinary ATM withdrawal turned into something extraordinary after a Massachusetts man withdrew a $20 bill with a difference.

In a Reddit post shared under the handle IBOB617, a man who told Newsweek his name was Ronald McKernan revealed how a trip to the ATM to pick up some cash to spend on vacation took an unexpected turn.

Read more: Guide to ATM Withdrawal Limits

Looking through the $100 he had withdrawn, McKernan immediately spotted something was amiss. "There was one really old dollar among a bunch of very new ones," he told Newsweek. That "really old" note turned out to be really old indeed, dating all the way back to before 1950.

Americans are increasingly moving towards a cashless society. A 2022 Gallup poll found that while 56 percent of U.S. adults still like to carry cash, 43 percent are comfortable walking around without it.

That's what makes this particular discovery all the more remarkable. Given the likely surplus of notes in ATMs up and down the country, quite how one this old remains in circulation is a mystery.

McKernan said he had "no idea" how it wound up being part of his withdrawal, but admits it's a "pretty cool thought" to consider all the people that have likely held it over the years.

He posted a picture of the bill to Reddit, where it was upvoted over 20,000 times, sparking much discussion in the process.

One Redditor even appeared to have nailed down a rough date for when the bill was likely first put in circulation. "The Series 1934C bills were printed between July 1946 and May 1949," they wrote.

Some pondered whether money this old could still be used.

"It can, though it shouldn't," one user said. "Numismatically speaking, it's significantly worth more than face value, especially in good shape." A second agreed: "Old money in good shape is worth more to a collector than just face value." A third replied: "This particular bill is in terrible shape, however," adding: "In this condition it's worth slightly more than $20. Maybe $23-25."

In any case, McKernan has no plans to sell the note to a collector. "I'll probably hold on to it, it's pretty cool," he said.

However, he did admit that the discovery came with a painful moment of realization. "I thought it was cool, but quickly realized that even though I'd never spend $20 on something like this, being the meathead I am, I would obviously hold on to it, making my $100 dollar withdrawal worth $80."