How You Can Purchase Uncut Sheets of U.S. Currency

April 26, 2022

Two dollar sheet of uncut currency.

Just in case you were wondering, you can purchase large sheets of uncut legal U.S. currency directly from the U.S. government.

It’s not a complicated process to obtain uncut paper currency. Though the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is the sole producer of U.S. paper currency and the United States Mint is the sole manufacturer of circulating coins, these uncut sheets of paper currency can be purchased through the United States Mint’s website catalog. 

You can purchase every denomination up to $100 bills, except the $5 sheet, which is not offered for some reason. Even the $2 sheets are available. The $1 sheets go from 5 bills to a sheet, to 10, 20, 25, and up to 50 bills to a sheet. The $2 sheets go from 4 bills to a sheet, to 8, 16, and up to 32. The $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills go from 4, 8, or 16 on a sheet.

But don’t think you’ll get a sweet deal if you buy in bulk. The $100 sheets with 4 to a sheet are $480, while 16 bills to a sheet are $1,800. It seems these uncut sheets of currency are intended to be used as art pieces, for gifts, or as an addition to a collection of money. Selling uncut currency isn’t something new for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. They’ve been selling these pieces since October 26, 1981.

But that’s not the only interesting money item you could buy. How about buying a bag of shredded currency? You can pick up a pre-packaged novelty souvenir of shredded currency at the Bureau’s Visitor Centers in Washington D.C. and Fort Worth, Texas. You can even purchase larger amounts of shredded currency to be used in artistic or commercial endeavors, but this must be done through a Federal reserve bank.

Written approval from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Chief in the Office of Compliance must be granted, and ten requirements must be met to purchase large amounts of shredded currency. Some of these requirements are that the shredded currency can’t be recycled into printable paper, it can’t be used as confetti or packing materials, it can’t be used in a product that holds food or drinks due to the chemicals in the ink, and it can’t be resold or disposed of without Treasury Department approval, just to name a few.

Sources: US Mint, US Bureau of Engraving and Printing 

Subscribe to our newsletter for a collection of stories that have been added to the Stew and get our FREE Ebook Quick Facts as a thank you.

About the author 

Daniel Ganninger - The writer, editor, and chief lackey of Knowledge Stew, the author of the Knowledge Stew line of trivia books, and editor of Fact World and the Knowledge Stew sister site on Medium, our ad-free subscription sites (you can find out how to join below). I hope you find things here to annoy those around you with your new found knowledge.

Follow the Stew


How to Join the Knowledge Stew Ad-Free Subscription Site on Medium

Join Medium now and get access to every story from Knowledge Stew and Fact World plus thousands of others ad-free. Your membership fee directly supports a continued stream of great content on Knowledge Stew and Fact World, and you’ll also get full access to thousands of other writers and stories on Medium. ($5 per month)