Fancy serial checker
Enter the serial number as printed. We show the normalized serial, pattern classes, and a record link when it matches. This does not authenticate, grade, or estimate a price.
What counts as a fancy serial
A “fancy” serial is a pattern in the printed digits: low (1–100 on the width), radar, binary, solid, ladder, or repeater. With eight digits, the checker also uses the list on this page. It does not invent a holding: it names a record only when the serial matches a published object.
Pick, date, and type do not identify the object. Two notes of the same Pick are two pieces if the serials differ. A radar serial does not prove authenticity.
Eight-digit pattern list
This list is for an eight-digit serial, from 00000000 to 99999999. The count is how many distinct serials fall in that class. It is not a price and it is not a count of notes seen. Type eight digits and the checker marks the classes that match. A date reads as day, month, and year.
| Pattern | What it is | Examples | In eight digits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broken ladder radar | A palindrome whose first half is a four-digit ladder with no zero (1234, 2345, 3456, 4567, 5678, 6789, or descending 9876, 8765, 7654, 6543, 5432, 4321). The other half is the mirror. | | 12 |
| Partial ladder | Four zeros followed by one of those twelve four-digit ladders. | | 12 |
| Paired ladder | Four consecutive pairs stepping up or down by one: from 00112233 to 66778899, and from 99887766 to 33221100. | | 14 |
| Broken ladder | Each digit is one step above or below the previous one, wrapping between 9 and 0. Ten ascend and ten descend. Six never cross 9 and are also perfect ladders: 01234567, 12345678, 23456789, 98765432, 87654321, and 76543210. The examples do cross 9. | | 20 |
| Special radar | Six of one digit and a different matched pair in the center. Form AAABBAAA. | | 90 |
| Two heads / super radar | The first and last digits match, and the six in the middle are a different digit. Form ABBBBBBA. | | 90 |
| Double quad | Four of one digit followed by four of another. Form AAAABBBB. | | 90 |
| Two-digit pair | A pair of different digits repeated four times. Form ABABABAB. | | 90 |
| Partial repeater | Four zeros followed by a repeated pair of different digits: 0000 plus ABAB. | | 90 |
| Radar repeater | The block ABBA repeated. It is both a palindrome and a repeater, and it is not a solid. Form ABBAABBA. | | 90 |
| Two-digit low number | Six zeros and a value from 10 to 99. The run is 00000010 through 00000099. | | 90 |
| Two-digit high number | Six nines and an ending from 00 to 89. The run is 99999900 through 99999989. | | 90 |
| Comet | Seven of one digit, with the different digit at the first or last place. | | 180 |
| Two- and three-digit radar | A palindrome that is not a super radar and not a special radar. With two digits, one interior mirror pair of a solid changes: places 3 and 6 (88988988) or 2 and 7 (83888838). Those are the 180. 37322373 is the three-digit form ABACCABA. | | 180 |
| Binary of zeros and ones | Only zeros and ones, and both appear. 00000000 and 11111111 are left out. | | 254 |
| Near solid | Seven of one digit, with the different digit in an interior place, not at either end. The ends are comets. | | 540 |
| Three-digit low number | Five zeros and a value from 100 to 999. The run is 00000100 through 00000999. | | 900 |
| Three-digit high number | Five nines and an ending from 000 to 899. The run is 99999000 through 99999899. | | 900 |
| Mixed pairs | Four consecutive pairs, each a different digit. Form AABBCCDD with A, B, C, and D all different. A paired ladder sits inside this count and is named with its own class as well. | | 5,040 |
| Ordinary radar | A palindrome that does not start with zero. There are 9,000, including the tighter radars on this list. If the serial is a broken ladder radar, special radar, two heads, radar repeater, or two- and three-digit radar, that class is shown. | | 9,000 |
| Repeater | The first half repeats as the second half. Solids and the ABABABAB pair are left out. If the block is ABBA, the class is radar repeater. | | 9,900 |
| One-shift symmetry | The second half is the first half rotated one place to the right. Form ABCDDABC. A solid is left out. 95200952 comes from 9520; 59311593 comes from 5931. If it is also a special radar or the three-digit radar, that class is named. | | 9,990 |
| Other two-digit serials | Exactly two different digits, and the pair is not 0 and 1. There are 11,176. If another class on this list already names the serial, that class is shown. | | 11,176 |
| Six of a kind | One digit repeats six times and the other two are not that digit. There are 22,680. If the serial is also two heads, a special radar, or an interior-pair radar, that class is the one named. | | 22,680 |
| Three-digit serial | Uses exactly three different digits, as in 46434336 (4, 6, and 3) and 85557887 (8, 5, and 7). The list records 236,088 on this row. If another class already applies, that class is shown. | | 236,088 |
| Eight distinct digits | All eight digits are different. There are 1,814,400, including serials that are also a ladder or another class. If another class already applies, that class is shown. | | 1,814,400 |
| Name days and birthdays | The eight digits read as day, month, and year. 01051946 is 1 May 1946. The list leaves the count open: a birthday or name day is not a closed pattern. | | Open |
| Historical dates | The same date reading, when the day is historical. 20071810 is 20 July 1810, national independence. The list does not close the catalogue of dates. | | Open |
Examples from the collection
The examples are serials published in this collection. A specimen 00000000 is not treated as a first-of-issue number.
Classification
Enter a serial and choose Classify. You can also pick an example.
Classification result
Pattern classification of the text you enter. It does not authenticate, grade, or value the note. Notofilia is a private collection; nothing is for sale.