How to Read a Series I Savings Bond Paper Certificate

If you invested in the paper version of the Series I savings bonds instead of the electronic registration option available through the TreasuryDirect program, you may wonder what all of the symbols, names, dates, and figures on the face of your bond certificate mean. Here's a quick legend provided by the United States Treasury to help you understand the notations on your Series I savings bonds.

More About the Series I Savings Bond

You can read our Guide to Investing in Series I Savings Bonds. This will walk you through tons of information about savings bonds, especially the series I savings bond, including how you can add them to your portfolio, annual purchase limits, ownership requirements, tax benefits, and much more. You can also see high resolution images of all of the available Series I savings bond denominations in the I Bond Photo Gallery.