It would be worth the trip, because currency will vary a lot as you have already found out from online. But in person the dealer can show you what to look for and what can make it worth more or less (found a two silver certificates that looked like new, but it had a fold mark that changed the value on both. But one was still worth more than the other, because it was the last printing), this is stuff dealers know that we don't always think of. If it's not worth anything, you might frame it with a note about it being from your fathers time in Japan during WWII and how long he was stationed over there, etc....