I'm not a collector of STAR Notes, but I must confess I have a collecting bug. Today I stumbled across a crisp near perfect condition 2003 Series $5 STAR Note Serial # DG01172998 * (G7). Upon doing some homework and searching through the forum, I've learned not all STAR notes are worth keeping. The common message I've taken away is to save the rarer STAR Notes. My question is what is considered a rare STAR Note? Thanks to some posting links, I 've determined the note I found is in near perfect condition, printed at Fort Worth Texas in Mar 2004 and there were approx 1.6 million STAR Notes in this run. Is this considered on the rare side of the spectrum for STAR Note collectors? I most likely will keep it, regardless, but wonder if its worth a premium to collectors.
i disagree with those who say not all stars are keepers. Some willpoint to a website that lists star notes (i cannot recall its address) that i think is a waste of time. But some like it, so ok. The site im talking about tells you the rare notes based on print runs. Collecting notes via print runs is a very small segment of the hobby. I see that you found that your note has x many of notes in its runs, you might have stumbled across the site i cannot remember the address to. For me, and alot of my friends who collect currency, look at the total mintage when looking at if a note is rare, and every one of us will not spend a star note, unless its eaither spend it or starve. If by chance you are in fact interested in collecting notes based on print runs, the note you have would be a good start. Its super rare, but its not all that exessive either. A small print run might only have 640,000 note printed, so yours was in a run twice that size appx. If you are to keep it, it sounds like a real nice note... if on the other hand you are going to spend it... yopu might think about posting it for trade in the open section of the forum.. i know there would be alot of people willing to give you $5 plus shipping for that note (or PM me)
Nothing like a good book for these things either. Schwartz and Linquist 7th edition of Standard Guide to Small-Size U.S. Paper Money 1928 to date lits your note at $40 in CU. Had it been a note printed in Washington the run was only 320,000 and list at $75. Daggarjon hit it. 1.28 million is not exceedingly small in number but not overly large either. When you start seeing 640,000 or lestt I'd always keep them. I do NOT keep all star notes though. Main reason is that I've held jobs where I'd see $100 worth a day and at some point you have to make a decision - keep the notes or eat this week. There is a lot out there to be found. I've pulled many examples with printings of only 640,000 and my lowest was a printing of 128,000. Keep them at least until you know the figures. clembo
clembo, do you look at the entire mintage for that star note for that series?> or do you look at print runs? so like for example: a certain year district A might have 15 million star notes, but a certain print run might only have the magic number of 640,000 and less. I can understand if you are seeing 100 or more a day in just start notes, that you let alot of them slide... eating can be pretty important
I look at overall printing numbers for the most part. In this case though some were printed at Fort Worth while others were printed in Washington D.C. The D.C. note, is in essence, a separate entiity. Different plate size and no FW to be found on the note. I've sold to a lot of collectors that were looking for a note (not even a star necessarily) printed at a specific branch of the BEP. Notes from the same district being printed at both facilities happens most often with the Atlanta district. The differences in collector value can be quite substantial at times. It does happen with other districts as well as evidenced by the note in this thread. At one point in time I ran into a half dozen 1995 $10 F-* notes in a short period of time. All were printed at Washinton with a run of 640,000. Have yet to find a Fort Worth note with only 320,000 printed. As for spending them on silly things like food it was tough to get used to believe me. I still retain at least $2000 face in star notes so I DID keep quite a few. I managed to complete the 1996 $20 set and $50 set in XF-CU from circulation. In those notes are half a dozen $20 AH-* notes (640,000) and two consecutive AL-* $50 notes. Yeah, I put down some money at times. Hope this answers your question though. clembo
I finally found 3 $1 star notes and now I find that are not really rare (2003 series A A00163737, 2003 series A B 09018412, 2003 K00127812). Got 1 in change on Sunday and 2 at work yesterday. I'll keep im anyway just so I can say I found some. Been looking for months and finally found some. Then again after looking at the half million 09 svdb maybe I should list these at $100 each. Just kidding.
Are all star notes released into circulation? I thought they were made to replace curreny that did not make standards
Good question and one I can't honesly answer without doing some research and I'm in no mood to research LOL. Actually though I think they are that's why we can find full packs on occasion.
they are minted to replace others that are damaged both during the initial printing and i believe during circulation. and yes, star notes are released into circulation for the most part. what i have foudn tho is that alot of banks have both smart workers and deals with dealers, that when packs of notes come in, they buy them to sell for a premium. I need to hook up with a bank like that
Yep, There's always a dealer out there that will pay some kind of premium for packs. I have gotten them on a few occasions but it doesn't happen often. I believe at some point all do get released into circulation simply because it costs money to print them. I've seen notes that were commanding a nice premium suddenly die when a huge run is released.
I think coin and paper money collecting has become dilluted. These days, you can only keep things that are worth more than face value, and I think that's absurd. If numismatics were a building, the cornerstone would read 'collect what you like.'
I confess I collect mainly things that are worth more than face value. Of course, when I was a kid I'd pop a shiny new "penny" into a 2x2. Still have a lot of those as a matter of fact dating back to the late 60s. They come complete with my little kid handwriting. No one says you have to collect anything more than what you like. People collect what they collect. Yeah, I like my type coins and pay good money (by my standards) for them but I've also been doing this for over 35 years. When I meet new collectors, or even old ones for that fact, and they show me their Lincoln Memorial collection or (worse yet) Sacagawea set I am always positive. Not my cup of tea but the pride and interest they show in the coins washes it away. If they like them then that's cool. We're all collectors at heart.
Exactly. Right now, I'm working on a book of Lincolns from 1959-1998 in BU and AU (for the more uncommon dates), entirely from bank rolls and pocket change, without purchasing a single coin for more than face value. It may not be worth much even when completed, but it sure isn't easy, and it's fun. Many collectors (I know you are not one) will only respect someones set if they are valuable, which means that as long as someone has enough money, their collection is automatically for more important and respectable than the collections of those who collect their series entirely from change. I can bet anyone any amount of money that they will have more fun and more of a sense of accomplishment if they put together their collection from bankrolls. I've had a good time, especially when I find a BU older date. In fact, over the past few months, I've actually found a pretty flawless, brilliant 1959 D and a 1967 in rolls. Sure, I could have bought those coins for less than 10 cents each, but nothing compares to flipping a shiny coin around the notice that it was minted 48 years ago. Of course, that's not possible with older coins.
I could not agree more BigH. I like picking it out of pocket change. I have managed to put together about 25 books that way. I like the fun of the search. When a cashier asks me if I have three cents the answer is nope I want 97 cents in change Liquor stores are my best coin resource. The guy that owns the store up the street and I collect. Do you know why? Most of it is stolen. They bring it in to buy booze. That is my biggest source of coins
I agree with Big H, I am currently working on a 1920-1970 set of Canadian penny's and except for a couple 1920's which I will probobly have to buy (1923,24,25) I plan to collect them from rolls and pocket change and my friends who I haev searching
While this may be true, it is also quite likely that those people are emptying out their penny jars or quarter jars or dresser drawers to get enuff money to buy a bottle of whatever. Just re-enforces your idea.
I save EVERY star note only because I don't have so many. i think I have 6-8 star notes, and a few of them are obvious saves like my 1935-E star note or a 1976 $2 star note... But i also have a few new $20 stars i have saved. If I ever get hard up on cash i will prob spend them, but since i'm not it doesn't hurt to keep them.
That's a good angle to take it from Mike especially when collecting currency. I had an opportunity to get 100 consecutive star 20s at one point - course I don't just have 2 grand in cash laying around. I dug into previous notes that I had found and bought as many as I could at face. Turned out I got 23 but had to give up a few $100 notes that I had stashed. Tough decision but glad I had the 100s.
