That $2 bill you have stashed away could be worth thousands. How to check.

Forget about the Benjamins. If your grandmother ever gave you a $2 bill and you managed to keep it, thank her. Your "Thomas Jefferson" could be worth thousands of dollars at this point.

The federal government issued $2 currency notes beginning in 1862, which first had a portrait of Alexander Hamilton on the cover. Jefferson's face didn't appear on the $2 bill until 1869, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Since then, $2 currency notes have undergone six different designs.

Depending on the year and how it was circulated, your $2 bill could potentially go toward a lot more than a meal at a fast-food restaurant.

A $2 currency note minted in 2003 last July sold online for $2,400 on Heritage Auctions. The same bill sold again for $4,000 roughly two weeks later. Other $2 notes from 2003 have fetched prices in the hundreds of dollars and higher.

What is my $2 bill worth?

To find the value of your $2 bill, look at the year and seal color. Bills with red, brown and blue seals from 1862 through 1917 can be worth up to $1,000 or more on the U.S. Currency Auctions website, which bases the value on recent and past paper currency auctions.

From 1995, according to the site, a set of 12 notes in their original packaging are worth $500 or more. You can find the value of your $2 bill by visiting their U.S. currency price guide online at uscurrencyauctions.com.

John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.