Savings Bonds

I'm packing up my apartment because I'm moving in a week from today. While throwing away useless stuff, I came across a $50 savings bond from 1996. I would have been a pre-teen at the time it was given to me.

I was excited about finding it because buying a house is expensive and I could use an extra $50. I went online to see how much it was worth and realized it's only good for $40 and change right now. It doesn't fully mature until 2026.

So I guess my question is: is it worth waiting another 16 years for an extra $10?

It kind of seems silly to have a bond with a 30 year maturation date. I always thought the idea of a bond was to give it to a young child as a gift and then when they are actually responsible enough to use it, the bond magically matures. Eighteen-20 years seems like a better maturation date, but I'm sure whoever gave me the bond got a pretty sweet deal on it.