Welcome griffith 90 . Let's just talk about the 2 years you have collected thus far . 1963 was the first year the BEP ( Bureau Engraving Printing ) came out with what collectors refer to as small head notes. What makes this 1963 plain series fun and interesting to collect , meaning no letter after the year 1963 , is that you have what we call mule notes . A mule will have 2 different face plate sizes , meaning the small numbers on the front and back of the bill will differ in size . This is because the BEP decided to save money and print the 1957 $1 silver certificates on the back of the 1963 $1 FRN ( Federal Reserve Notes ) . They did this so they could use the same plates already made and used for the 1957 $1 silver certificates. So what you need to look for is , on the back of every 1963 $1 plain " FRN " is the plate number . If the plate number is 447 or less , then the back of this 1963 $1 FRN note is actually the same ones used on the 1957 $1 silver certificates . Some collectors try to collect all 12 Districts , with mules , as well as replacement notes ( which are referred to as Star notes also ) . This means you would need to find 24 1963 $1 FRN mule notes in total . This is just one of the many interesting ways of collecting currency . Enjoy the hunt , Joe
