Large-sized notes ( ≅ ) In March 1862, the first $2 bill was issued as a
Legal Tender Note (United States Note) with a portrait of
Alexander Hamilton; the portrait of Hamilton used was a profile view, different from the familiar portrait in use on the small-sized
$10 bill since 1928. By 1869, the $2 United States Note was redesigned with the now-familiar portrait of Thomas Jefferson to the left and a
vignette of the
United States Capitol in the center of the obverse. This note also featured green tinting on the top and left side of the obverse. Although this note is technically a United States Note, appeared on it instead of . The reverse was completely redesigned. This series was again revised in 1874; changes on the obverse included removing the green tinting, adding a red floral design around , and changing the term to . The 1874 design was also issued as Series of 1875 and 1878, and by 1880, the red floral design around on the United States Note was removed and the serial numbers were changed to blue. This note with the red floral design was also issued as Series of 1917 but with red serial numbers by that time. National Bank Notes were issued in 1875 and feature a woman unfurling a flag and a large sideways '2' ("Lazy Deuce") on the obverse. The reverse has
Sir Walter Raleigh smoking tobacco and an eagle with a shield. In 1886, the first $2 silver certificate with a portrait of
United States Civil War General
Winfield Scott Hancock on the left of the obverse was issued. This design continued until 1891 when a new $2 Silver Certificate was issued with a portrait of U.S.
Treasury Secretary William Windom in the center of the obverse. Two-dollar Treasury, or "Coin", Notes were first issued for government purchases of silver bullion in 1890 from the silver mining industry. The reverse featured large wording of in the center and a numeral 2 to the right surrounded by an ornate design that occupied almost the entire note. In 1891, the reverse of the Series of 1890 Treasury Note was redesigned because the treasury felt that it was too "busy", making it too easy to counterfeit. More open space was incorporated into the new design. In 1896, the "
Educational Series" Silver Certificate was issued. The entire obverse of the note was covered in artwork with an
allegorical figure of science presenting steam and electricity to commerce and manufacture. The reverse of the note featured portraits of
Robert Fulton and
Samuel F. B. Morse surrounded by an ornate design that occupied almost the entire note. By 1899, however, The $2 Silver Certificate was redesigned with a small portrait of
George Washington surrounded by allegorical figures representing agriculture and mechanics. Large-sized
Federal Reserve Bank Notes were issued in 1918. Each note was an obligation of the issuing Federal Reserve Bank and could only be redeemed at the corresponding bank. The obverse of the note featured a borderless portrait of Thomas Jefferson to left and wording in the entire center. The reverse featured a
World War I battleship. File:US-$2-LT-1862-Fr-41.jpg|First $2 bill issued in 1862 as a Legal Tender Note. File:US-$2-SC-1886-Fr.242.jpg|Series 1886 $2 Silver Certificate depicting
Winfield Scott Hancock File:1890 two-dollar bill.jpg|Series 1890 featuring
James McPherson. This "Coin Note" was used for government purchases of silver bullion from the mining industry. File:US-$2-SC-1891-Fr.246.jpg|The second two-dollar denomination in the silver certificate series printed in 1891. This note features United States Secretary of the Treasury
William Windom. File:US-$2-SC-1896-Fr.247.jpg|Robert Fulton and Samuel Morse depicted on the reverse of the 1896 $2 'Educational Series" Silver Certificate. File:US-$2-SC-1899-Fr-249.jpg|The final design of the United States' silver certificate series featuring George Washington, printed in 1899.
Small size notes ( ≅ ) 1928–1966 In 1928, when all U.S. currency was
redesigned and downsized, the bill was issued only as a
United States Note. The obverse featured a cropped version of Thomas Jefferson's portrait that had been on previous bills. The reverse featured Jefferson's home,
Monticello. As with all United States Notes, the
treasury seal and serial numbers were printed in red ink. The Series of 1928 bill featured the treasury seal superimposed by the United States Note obligation to the left and a large gray to the right. During the 1950s, production of bills began to decrease. The relative scarcity of the notes led some to start saving any they received, with the inevitable result that the bills became less common in circulation. In 1953, the bill, along with the United States Note, received minor design changes. The treasury seal was made smaller and moved to the right side of the bill; it was superimposed over the gray word . The United States Note obligation now became superimposed over a gray numeral 2. The reverse remained unchanged. The final change to United States Notes came in 1963 (as
Series 1963) when the motto was added to the reverse over the Monticello. Further, because
silver certificates were soon to be no longer redeemable in silver, was removed from the obverse. $2 and $5 United States Notes were discontinued in August, 1966.
1976–present postage stamp. On November 3, 1975, Secretary of the Treasury
William E. Simon announced the reissuance of the note as a cost-saving measure; Series 1976 notes would be available from banks on , Thomas Jefferson's birthday. Series 1976 bills were partially redesigned and reissued as a
Federal Reserve Note. The note retains the same portrait of Jefferson, and the basic design of the obverse remained unchanged since 1928. The treasury seal and serial numbers are printed in green ink, replacing the red used on the previous United States Note. Since the reintroduction of the note coincided with the
United States Bicentennial, it was decided to use a bicentennial-themed design on the reverse, although the bill was not issued specifically to celebrate the bicenntenial, as is widely believed. An engraved rendition (not an exact reproduction) of John Trumbull's
Declaration of Independence replaced Monticello on the reverse. First-day issues of the new bills could be taken to a
post office and stamped with the date "APR 13 1976". The BEP produced a total of 590,720,000 notes from Series 1976, the final run printed in 1978. Currently, stamped Series 1976 notes typically trade for about twice their face value. If the bills were stamped in a city with an unusual name, the value may be slightly higher. However, no first-day-issued 1976 bills with postage stamps are especially rare or valuable. Despite their age, crisp, uncirculated Series 1976 notes are not uncommon and are not particularly valuable. More than a half billion series 1976 notes were printed and a very large number were saved and hoarded upon their original issue. A typical, single uncirculated 1976 bill is worth only slightly above face value. An average, circulated Series 1976 note has no additional value above its face. In 1996 and 1997, 153,600,000 bills were printed as Series 1995 for the
Federal Reserve District of Atlanta. Beginning with Series 1995, all notes have been produced at the Western Currency Facility in
Fort Worth, Texas. In 2004, 121,600,000 of the Series 2003 bills were printed for the
Federal Reserve District of Minneapolis. An issue of Series 2003A bills was printed from July to September 2006 for all twelve Federal Reserve Banks. In all, 220,800,000 notes were printed. In February 2012, the BEP printed 512,000 Series 2009 Star Notes, in anticipation of more regular runs being printed later in 2012. Series 2009 bills were issued to banks during the autumn of 2012. In November 2013, the BEP began printing Series 2013 notes for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; these notes entered circulation in early 2014. A total of 44,800,000 notes were ordered for fiscal year 2014, which ran from October 2013 through September 2014. Series 2017A notes were first issued to banks in December 2019. Production of series 2021 $2 star notes for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (J) began in March, 2025.
Series dates Large size note showing a large brown treasury seal. The signatures of Blanche Bruce & A. U. Wyman are present on the obverse near the bottom.
Small size .|bottom : These are sourced by The Official Red Book (Whitman). ==Visual chronology==