While talking to a good friend of mine about the book 'Paper money of the 20th century, paper money of Japan' published in 1987, he mentioned the book was put out by the folks at the IBNS. I visited their site looking for information, both about the book, and about the organisation. I kind of wanted to gingerly ask... is there anyone here at CT that is a member of INBS? The site claims to have close to 2,000 members around the world, which to me doesnt seem all that many considering the number of folks in the hobby. I regularly read folks signature lines, but cant for the life of me remember if i have seen IBNS memebers or not. So if you know of, or are a member of the IBNS, then please chime in here and as a side 'quest' if you know where i can obtain a copy of the book mentioned above, also please post below
I'm a recent member of IBNS. I can't give you a bunch of "value" items for why you should join, since I'm so new I haven't really taken advantage of them. Their journal is high quality, very nice. One reason I joined is to get access to the old journals, lots of good info in them. You can download a spreadsheet off the IBNS site that contains the titles of all the articles in the old journals. Dave
I am a member, but I am not aware of the publication. Its a very good organization to join if you have an interest in any world currency. When I have question of selective World notes I typically dont deal with, the other members are great resources. If you need a contact for your region let me know. Jeff
I was a member, but then I went cheaple and let my membership lapse, along with ANA, MSNS, PCNS etc. One thing I will share about the IBNS, if you have a dispute with a member, it will go through the ranks very quickly - I know because a dealer in England charged my card for someone else's order and neglected to offset the charge for a couple of months - so I got ahold of the IBNS chairman in London and the matter was taken care of in a day.
I guess this might be a silly question, but on the site it says for an individual adult, the cost is US$33... is this yearly, or is it a one time fee? It only occured to me to ask when i noticed on the The Society of Paper Money Collectors site, they specify the membership is a yearly charge. Oldbucks.. are the two groups somewhat similar, like do they both deal with world notes along with US? or aside from the group's names, they split and go off in different directions?
I am not only a member (21 years) but I am on the Board of Directors. Thank you for posting this thread. First, let me give you some background on the organization itself (skip to the end for the answer to your immediate question). It was founded in London in 1961. It has never had a relationship with SPMC although there are many US SPMC members who are also IBNS memebrs. There are about 2000 members worlwide representing 96 different countries from Albania to Zimbabwe (no Afghan members yet). Members are located in such diverse countries as Bangladesh, China, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Malta, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Uganda and Zambia. The largest concentrations of members are in the US (48 of the 50 states have members -- there are 22 members in Michigan), UK and Australia. While there are members who are dealers, most members are collectors and are willing to trade or acquire notes from their countries for other members. Delivering services to such a diverse membership is a challenge. The Society publishes a quarterly journal, a biannual membership directory and holds an annual mail auction (the most recent auction closed January 31 with thousands of lots.) Board and member meetings are held at the London IBNS Congress, Memphis, Valkenburg and now in Australia. Informal meetings are held at most major shows in the US (CPMX, ANA, Long Beach, St. Louis). These meetings usually have an educational program associated with them. Noted cataloguer and collector of Philippine notes Neil Shafer gave a program at CPMX on Philippine Guerrilla notes. There are also 18 IBNS Chapters around the world. These are located in Australia (Perth, Sydney and Melbourne), Belgium, Canada (Vancouver), China, Czech Republic, Egypt, the Netherlands, South Africa, Turkey, UK (Burnley, East Midlands and London), United Arab Emirates and the US (Milwaukee and two new ones in Southern California). The chapters have regular meetings, some monthly and some quarterly or semi-annually. The IBNS library is housed at the ANA. This allows IBNS members access to the entire ANA library without being ANA a member of ANA. The OP opined that 2000 seems like a low number of members. One thing that you have to remember is that there are organizations in most countries that serve collectors from that country that collect that country's notes, SPMC in the US is an example. IBNS is not aimed at those collectors, its focus is on collectors who have a worldwide focus or who collect notes from countries other than their own. If your collecting interests are narrow it makes more sense to join the organization in the country you collect. A collector who only collects Mexican Revolutionary notes living outside Mexico would be better served by joining an organization in Mexico or LANSA. Likewise, a US collector who only interest is US notes would not benefit much from being an IBNS member. The grievance process is something IBNS takes very seriously. While it can only assist with problems with other IBNS members, IBNS is not shy about suspending and expelling members whose identities are then published in the Directory. IBNS sponsors annual literary awards and a Banknote of the Year award. The membership fee is an annual fee. The book on Japan is still available from IBNS but only members can order it. I will be more than happy to answer anyone's questions about IBNS.
Thanks for the details on IBNS, I must admit being new I was unaware of some of the things IBNS had its hands into. Question about the library... is there a list available of what books are in the library, and does the library loan books out via mail, or does one have to physically visit the library to take advantage of the resource? Thanks, Dave #9960
Lettow, i am very surprised to hear that not only are you a member but also on the board of directors!! Thats very cool! I want to thank you whole heartedly for your post, as it answers a ton of my questions, and even answered some i hadnt thought to ask Thank you for clearingup the main differance in the IBNS and the SPMC. I had the idea, but wasnt 100% sure. I also wanted to thank you for letting me know about the book i was told by a friend of mine that it might have alot of information about ration coupons and the like. That alone, along with all the other items you listed... well, i might be filling out the application sooner then later
Well 'll be dog gone!! Lettlow...you have been holding out on us! I am certain that your knowledge base is immense! Respectfully, RickieB
I agree... i always knew he was more then up to the task on US notes questions, and here we find out he is just as good at answer world currency questions RickieB, are you a member of SBNC ?
Hi Daggarjon...nope SPMC at this time and re-instating the FCCB this year. I got away from the fractionals after the 4th and 5th Issue but have some 3rd Issue note I would like to add...the list goes on and on...LOL RickieB
