After admiring the beauty and history of currency for as long as I've been collecting coins... nearly forever ... I decided to finally pick a series and educate myself about it. When I'm comfortable with it, I'll start buying what appeals to me. Actually what pushed me "over the edge" from just being a spectator to making the decision to collect was the passionate collectors on C/T. I've always had a small collection of notes, pieces I've picked up over the years from different places. I have a few fractionals, some obsoletes, Cobfederate notes and some small and large U.S., but I never had a goal, it was just an "accumulation." Now, thanks to you guys, I've decided to get serious about persuing a series. I've narrowed my choices down to two areas, obsoletes and fractionals. I've been studying up on paper money in general and have a couple of references I've been reading to get a feel for it. There's also a few sites on the internet I've found that are helpful, but I don't have a reference book on obsoletes. Could someone recommend a few good sources of information for me? Is there a "Red Book" for this area of collecting? Any advice or guidance would be most appreciated. Again, thanks for pushing me "over the edge." I'll post some pics of what I have now when I get a chance. Bruce
Obsolete currency covers a wide variety of notes. There are literally 10,000+ different notes in the obsolete arena. You may want to focus on a subset of obsoletes to keep some direction. The Haxby books are the standard reference for obsoletes. The set used to run about $800.00 until Krause started issuing them on CD-ROM. Check their website for the cost. There are state specific books for some states like Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, etc. You can also buy the individual Haxby sections for each state from Krause.
Thanks to everyone for your info and best wishes. I did come across the name Haxby in my research, so I'll pursue the lead and see what I can afford to buy. I actually think I'm going to start out by concentrating on New Jersey and Pennsylvania issues (especially Philadelphia), but I need to do some more reading first. I do have 2 or 3 New Jersey obsoletes already from years ago, so it's a small start. Thanks again. Bruce
Well you and I are sort of in the same boat except you have more notes than me. I took the plunge as well and let me tell you, the water is very deep here.
That is what makes currency so interesting! No two collections are going to be the same! You put your own mark on it! Each collector can personalize it to a story they want to tell. With currency you can really do it in ways I find much harder with coins. It is fascinating because there seems to be so much more information available. It doesn't just have to be about the end product. I really enjoy opening parts of my collection to friends and taking them through the history of our currency, how it was produced, what was happening that influenced its purpose and design. It doesn't matter if you tell it to others or not, when you look at your collection it will tell its own story. I hope you both enjoy the journey! Best Regards ~ Darryl
Great post Darryl...which reminds me of a true story concerning the reverse design on the first small-size Silver Certificates. Originally the eagle was on the left, and the pyramid was on the right. They showed the design to F.D.R. , who was a avid Stamp collector, and he suggested a design change that reversed the eagle and pyramid so that the eagle was looking AT the pyramid instead of looking off the left side of the note. He initialized the change.....and it was done.
Thanks Steve! Very cool story! Those small details are really great pieces of information & history. I hope others find their way into the hobby, not to try to make a buck but because they appreciate what they can learn and the artistry that has been left for us to admire.
Here's the two New Jersey notes I already have in my collection. I've had the Egg Harbor piece for years, but don't remember where I got it or how much I paid for it. The William S. Scull private scrip I bought in an antique store about 6 or 7 years ago. I researched him and found out that he was a coffee importer and packager in Camden. The company was founded in 1831 by Joab Scull, and was operated by William from 1858 until 1916 as William S. Scull & Co. They were in business until 1960. I don't know if any of you guys remember Boscul brand coffee, but that was their most famous brand. Bruce
Bruce, I bought the Haxby & as lettow said their are 10.000+ it's the only way to go if your serious about obsoletes. Fractionals are a much smaller series to complete.So good luck,I'm still collecting everything from any type of US currency/ SO Cards/ Fractionals, MPCs /obsoletes & US coins,ABNCo,Vignettes. Someday maybe I'll focus on a series.
Bruce, Sorry that I missed this thread when it first went up. I'm a couple days catching up here. Congratulations and Welcome aboard! I'm glad to see you've honed some areas that you're interested in pursuing. What all the others have been saying is excellent advice and very insightful about the nature of Paper collectors. Darryl, I see Bruce's 5¢ note employs that familiar "guard dog and vault/safe" motif like we discussed common to other fractionals like those you recently have been working on. Seeing such repeating themes in variations over the coarse of an era or span of many Series is another cool thing about collecting notes. We have seen many collectors focus on any notes bearing vignettes of: trains, carriages, animals, bicycles, and a collection of notes with a security themes like the guard dog and safe would be another such thing someone may pin point. I haven't yet found/begun collecting any such theme yet, but it draws near to my interest in finding personal connections to the notes I collect. If a theme is meaningful to a collector, beyond just a curiosity or aesthetically pleasing aspect on a note to seek out, it makes the purpose and thrill of collecting that much more enriching. For Bruce, I might link this to his interest in coins bearing counter stamps, even though those are additions made to the coins, they represent a particular feature that defines his goals and interest in collecting within the greater sphere of numismatics.
Bowers has a book on obsoletes as well. Its not comprehensive, but can be found somewhat cheaply and is a very pretty book and a good read. Its a large book, with over 250 pages, and I would highly recommend it as a primer in this area. Check Ebay as there is a seller there who has them cheap sometimes. Its a Whitman publication.
Be careful...obsoletes are the crack cocaine of the paper currency collector! I've been a hopeless addict for a few years myself and as far as I can tell the only cure is death! Guy
Thanks for all the advice guys. I did look to the Krause site for the Haxby CD's on obsoletes. They have the whole series for $200.00 which is a little rich for me, so I think I'll start by buying the New Jersey and Pennsylvania ones first. Right now I want to concentrate on Jersey because it's where I live. A lot of what I have seen so far I can relate to because I know the state very well from my truck driving days. It's pretty interesting what Chris said about my interest in counterstamped coins maybe tying in with the obsoletes, because there are a couple I've found so far that do. The notes from Beverly, NJ may help me find a bit more information about two Beverly companies who counterstamped coins in the 1850's. One. a furniture manufacturer named Pine & Patrick, I've been researching for 6 or 7 years now with a fair degree of success. There are still some loose ends I need to tie up, and the signatures on the Beverly notes may help me do that. I'm loving the obsoletes already. As far as becoming addicting, I hope it does. I love getting involved in something like this that really interests me. Again, thanks to everyone for the great advice. I'll be sure to post pics of anything I buy and to ask questions from the experts on the forum. Bruce
