Pre-War money

United States dollars, commonly called pre-War money, were the official currency of the United States of America. They appear as stacks of banknotes of various denominations in Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76.

Background
United States dollars (USD) were the pre-War currency of the United States of America. The inflation presumably caused by the Resource Wars was severe, leaving banknotes as the primary medium of exchange. Although the Great War eliminated the United States and its economy, reducing stacks of green bills to little more than collector's items and scrap parchment, certain pre-War devices continue to recognize them as valid currency. These are typically limited to areas like the Sierra Madre casino or the Nuka-World amusement park.

Banknotes (green strap)


A stack of pre-War bills, bound with a green band.

Bank notes (red strap)


A stack of pre-War $20 bills, tied together by a red currency strap.

Behind the scenes

 * Pre-War money has a variable value in Fallout: New Vegas, modified by the player's Barter skill.
 * High resolution textures for Fallout 4 identify the banknotes as $20 bills. The strap is placed over the portrait, but the design of the bill is a combination of the 1928 $20 small-size Federal Reserve Note (general design) and the 1914 $20 Federal Reserve Note (red seal).
 * Based on the value listed in the Skylanes smuggling manifest, each in-game pre-War money bundle had a value of $100 on October 23, 2077. This is further backed up in Fallout 76, with a random G.A.S. Prize Certificate players can receive, in which $100,000 is given in the form of 100 pre-War money bundles.