Types of U.S. Currency

A complete guide to every category of U.S. paper currency ever issued — what made each type unique and why most no longer exist.

America's first paper money — printed to fund the Revolutionary War, destroyed by British counterfeiting, and so thoroughly debased it gave English the phrase "not worth a Continental."

The first paper money issued by the United States government in the Civil War era — the original "greenbacks," redeemable on demand for gold coin.

The "greenbacks" of Civil War fame — the first fiat currency of the United States, issued without gold backing, and the subject of fierce constitutional debate.

The currency that unified American money after the Civil War — issued by over 12,000 individual banks, each with its own unique design, and collectively one of the richest areas of U.S. currency collecting.

Currency that once entitled the holder to actual silver — and the fascinating political story of how silver became money in the first place.

Currency backed by actual gold deposits in the Treasury — until Franklin Roosevelt ended gold ownership for Americans and recalled them all in 1933.

Small-denomination paper money issued during the Civil War when coins disappeared from circulation — and the only time the U.S. issued paper money worth less than a dollar.

The history of America's largest banknotes — why they existed, who used them, and why they were withdrawn in 1969.