Ya, that’s what I thought, that all bills over $100 were discontinued years ago.
What would a counterfeiter do with $500s or $1000s?? I mean, if you try to do money laundering or just try to deposit them in a bank, such bills will be studied very carefully, precisely because they aren’t in circulation anymore.
All of the denominations greater than $100 sell to collectors for a for a sizeable premium above the face value of the bill.
As a result, it's extremely rare than anyone would try to spend one of those bills. If one of those bills hits a bank, then it's taken out of circulation. If it hits a merchant who is savvy, it's taken out of circulation.
Any collector or a bank is going to scrutinize any denomination above $100. I imagine many merchants refuse to accept them.
$10,000 bills were only printed in 1928 and 1934. Only about eight 1928 $10,000 bills are known to exist. Most of the 1934 $10,000 bills known to exist came from the hidden underground vault on the property of Lonnie "Ted" Binion, the son of "Benny" Binion, of Las Vegas Benion's Horseshoe fame. Binion's 1934 $10,000 bills are in poor condition.
A poor condition $10,000 bill has a retail value of about $30,000, last I know.