It might sound like something from a movie, but it’s true—the U.S. Treasury once printed $100,000 bills! These super high-value notes were made in 1934, during the Great Depression, and had a picture of President Woodrow Wilson on them.
But regular people never got to use these bills. They were only used for official business between Federal Reserve Banks. At the time, there was no electronic banking, so the bills made it easier to move large amounts of money.
The $100,000 bill was part of the 1934 Gold Certificate series and is still the highest-value note the U.S. has ever printed. Since they were never given to the public, it’s actually illegal for anyone to privately own one.
The bill itself is an interesting piece of history and design. It had detailed artwork, special security features for the time, and a gold certificate seal. Woodrow Wilson was featured because he helped start the Federal Reserve System in 1913, making him a good choice for the bill.
Today, we mostly use $1, $5, $20, and $100 bills, but in the past, there were also $500, $1,000, and even $10,000 bills. These were mostly used by banks. As digital banking became more common and concerns about crime and counterfeiting grew, these large bills were taken out of use.
You may never see a $100,000 bill in person, but knowing it existed shows how much money systems have changed—and how they keep changing over time.