Federal Reserve Notes

Type code FR.  All Federal Reserve Note serial numbers are nine or ten characters in length; however, some of the serial numbers have an asterisk (*) in the tenth position.  Notes issued in 1996 are an exception; serial numbers for these bills contain eleven characters if the denomination is 20, 50, or 100.  Those with an asterisk are commonly called “star notes.” The NCIC computer does not accept asterisks in the SER/ Field. Therefore, the Miscellaneous Field must contain the words ASTERISK SER. The first character of a Federal Reserve Note must be alphabetic A through L. Positions two through nine must be numeric. If the serial number is ten characters, the tenth position must be alphabetic A through L.