Numbering of banknotes is mainly a meta-function, to see how long the banknote survives in the real-world. No idea for USD, but GBP 5 pound notes last a surpr

Numbering of banknotes is mainly a meta-function, to see how long the banknote survives in the real-world. No idea for USD, but GBP 5 pound notes last a surprisingly short amount of time, less than a few months, before wear-and-tear destroys them. There is no regulatory tracking of bank note number to who withdraws it. None. An incredible and incredibly pointless mess. ATMs do read them however,for the just-in-case scenario. In bank robbery stories, sure "A million in used notes" sounds nice, but that's because a net would have been thrown down, or specific attention drawn to a serial, but in most cases, no. The regulatory burden would be far too surreal.