Pennsylvania man has $10 banknote worth half a million dollars

The $10 bill a Pennsylvania man is holding in a news photo published this week looks fairly unremarkable — if a little old — with the word "ten" printed out below "The United States of America."

Look a little more closely, however, and Royersford resident Billy Baeder's bill reveals itself as a certificate worth half a million dollars, an auctioneer told Philly.com. The currency, printed in 1933, could be worth more than any other bill printed since 1929.

"Payable in silver coin to bearer on demand," says the writing on the bill.

Baeder told Philly.com he inherited the currency from his recently deceased father, who collected bills from the register at his auto repair business over many years. He said he isn't going to sell it right now because of its connection to his dad, and he's already turned down someone who offered to buy it for $300,000.

[ Related: Chicago couple glues 60,000 pennies onto new bedroom floor ]

One of Canada's first $5 polymer bills, printed as the Bank of Canada tested the currency, sold for $20,000 at auction in Toronto this spring.

Another rare Canadian banknote isn't wanted so much for its value as its connection to crime; slightly less than one million $1000 Canadian notes were still in circulation last year, and experts suspect many of them are hoarded by drug traffickers and other criminals, in part to make transactions using suitcases full of money a little lighter, the National Post reported in a 2012 story.