So, I'm a coin guy and I usually stick to the coins. I'm currently working on a set of the coins from Morocco, focusing on the French occupation period. However, I noticed in a recent auction that there are some very attractive designs on the paper money from the same time period. I don't really know much about collecting paper money, so was considering learning some before I jump in. So, anyone got any paper money from Morroco to show off?
Here you go: http://www.frenchbanknotes.com/frenchprints.php?country=Morocco I'm on the reverse side of you, have collected the notes for years and just picking up a few of the coins
That's a pretty sweet collection! How rare or hard to find are these, especially in high quality like you have? Are there any real show-stoppers? (very rare or hard to find series?) If I were to start collecting these, is there anything I should know or look for? Obviously, I need to learn about paper collecting in general, and I've gotten a book to read to learn, but I'm more asking about the challenges of Moroccan issues in particular.
Thanks! For a catalog I would use The Banknote Book, for which you can just buy the individual countries. If you're looking at Morocco, it probably won't be long before you're ogling notes from Algeria and Tunisia as well There will be plenty of show-stoppers along the way, so don't get your heart set on a complete collection. Not only just looking at the cost, but even with an unlimited budget you just won't find many of these notes available. The general category of "banknotes printed in France" is what I collect, and is a fairly common desire since they all have a familiar look. If that's your intent, the Banknote Book lists the printer of the notes, and you will quickly see and learn to distinguish those, and possibly they are the only ones you want. That's common across all the French Colonies, where Bank of France printed notes but also there were locals, or of course notes printed when the country was not under French rul. So pick your battles and get what you can, but I recommend looking at it as an eclectic collection of Moroccan notes, rather than a complete collection. Likely the same as you would with their coins, I'm guessing. You will want to use auctions, and often French dealers rather than dealers in the US, to get better material. TPG's are not the norm in Europe, so don't be put off by ungraded notes, other than the the standard warnings about knowing what you're buying.
Thanks for the advice! I once considered collecting all of the French colonies, as you mention Algeria and Tunisia, but I've decided to focus on Morocco. For the coins, I am attempting a complete set - so I would do the same for the paper money. I realize some of them will be very difficult, but the same is true of the coins. Surprisingly, I've found many of the coins in Spain, so I've gotten used to dealing with Spanish dealers (and Austrian, of all places). I think I will try to get TPG certified notes at least in the beginning, because I'm new to paper money. With coins, I have no problems buying raw - it will take some time for me to get there with paper money. How does this Banknote Book differ or improve upon Krause? Is it worth getting both, or is the BB significantly better than Krause?
TBB is vastly superior to Krause, is color, contains more (and more correct) info on varieties, etc. He lists cross-reference numbers to Krause as well as his own numbering. The only thing better would be the French catalog "Les Billets du Maghreb et du Levant" published by Gadoury. It is in French. I use Krause as a least common denominator catalog, myself, and rarely need to refer to it other than to if I need to look up a not from somewhere I don't have a better catalog for. Of course both/all catalogs will have questionable pricing info. I would recommend an old copy of Krause just so you can get the whole world's worth of catalog numbers, but using either the very specialized French (in this example) catalogs or the seriously way better than Krause Banknote Book as your daily reference. Full disclosure, I am a contributor to TBB. Morocco is $10, but you can download some of his free pages at http://banknotebook.contentshelf.com/shop to see what the catalog looks like.
