To say iam gitty with excitement is a understatement!! I just got this By express mail this morning Series 681 $10 in PCGS 68PPQ one of The most gorgeous and most sought after note,s in the entire Mpc Printing, it depicts on the front a Green Barret soldier holding a M-14 Assault rifle and on the back the famous Sherman Tank. This is a rare note to begin with, With only 3,200,000 printed which Is considered very low, Also taking in to consideration the burning of millions of dollars of Mpc through out Vietnam in which this series Was issued for and who knows what actual numbers remain!! This also concludes my high grade Series 681 set, I will post the Entire set in a couple of days, So make sure and look for it
Nice I like that note too! Mine is CU but raw, doubt mine will hit a 68 I was wondering if you went broke on the last few as you hadn't posted for a bit on the newp Glad your still at it!!!
I can honestly say that my wallet took a terrific hit!! To say the least!! On my last two purchases, Two things it takes to be successful in finding Notes like this alot of luck and alot of money!!....LOL
MS68 with slightly uneven margins is a surprise Beautiful note, but I'm surprised that they gave it a 68 (just about perfection) when the left/right - top/bottom margins are not exactly equal. I can even see it from the pictures. I've also got one of these obtained as gem from Denly about 10 years ago. It also appears a solid gem with even margins. I haven't submitted anything to currency TPG yet. Did you do the submission on this note, or did you buy it already in the holder? In any event, I agree with you that this is one of the most desirable notes - that's why I bought it years ago. Cost me $350 at the time. Marv
I bought this one already in the holder but disagree with you on not being 68, 70 is the highest You will always have slight imprefections under the 70 grade which is perfect, now if it Would have been graded 70 that,s another story!
I'm just going by what I've seen with regular large and small currency grading by PCGS/PMG. Anything 67 and higher has very miniscule differences. I just notice that your 68 note has more than a miniscule difference, that's why I was a bit surprised. Perhaps PMG is offsetting the margin issue based on other characteristics of the note. They do that of course. It's all a judgement call. IMO, these high (66 and higher) are really not meaningful. Your note would have been a "gem" and my note is a "gem" and would have brought the same money approximately. With this arbitrary differentiation between already gorgeous notes, are collectors really getting their money's worth by paying multiples for a 68 versus a 66? I don't think so, that's why I go by the old expression, by the note (coin) not the holder. For example, I just bought an Fr. 347 (1890 $1 fancy back) in a PMG 40 holder that faces up as an unc note. Folds are impossible to see unless one very carefully scrutinizes it via glancing light. However, I only paid $2000 for a note that would have cost triple in a 65 holder. I've seen other '40' notes that are much worse than my note, with very visible folds, dirt, etc., but they're in the same grade. So, in this case, I bought the note, not the holder. This is the kind of note that, in the past, would have been processed to "unc". Sorry to sermonize, I know the upper unc grades are here to stay, and, if you've got the money, it's one more way of saying "look at me...I've got something better than you have..." My primary consideration is the ability to admire the design, the engraving, and the color without having it obscured by bad folds, dirt, etc., so a 65/66 gives me all I need, or, like in the case with my 347, a top notch EF40. Marv
You have to remember grading is very subjective, all tpg,s dont grade Alike there are different standards for each one, i have cross graded Between PCGS and PMG and the other way around and there were Numerous times things came back different like i said in my previous Posting this is not a perfect note though pritty darn close!! there is Only 1 70 in the entire Mpc series 461-701 that would be a Series 661 5 Cent note, i have about 5 69,s from various Series as well. What your looking for is consistentcy and for someone that has over 250 graded Mpc i think i know what i,am talking about Here,s a closely gaurded secret if you want a high grade Series 681 Look for Position 19 in uncirculated condition, it has yeilded the (4) 68,s and (1) 69 i have the serial numbers these notes are expensive in 68 look at paying around $1,300 if you can find the other 3 actually I know where the other 2 are so you would be searching for only 1 I guess i would have to say good luck to that search! also the one And only 69 would probably fetch over $2,000 it sold at Heritage last year for i believe $954 i missed that one!! but it,s worth Way more then that, I paid over $4,000 for the one and only Series 661 $20 in 68PPQ, I,am kind of hardcore when it comes To Mpc
I do have on other question. I have a series 541 50c replacement note, not one in the census of Fred Schwan's book. Its serial number starts with F11xxxxxx, so it's one of the later printings. It's probably a VF. What is something like that worth today?
Marv since you just joined us, here are a few more 68,s from the same Series the $5 which has a population of 3 and the $20 which has a population of 1 http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz211/mpcusa/Series68120INPCGS68PPQF.jpg http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz211/mpcusa/Series68120INPCGS68PPQR.jpg
You most certainly have every right to be "gitty" with excitement over your Superb Gem New $10.00 note. Being excited over near perfection is laudable. In my own small way, I'm pleased to share in your excitement. This past week I also acquired the same handsome note, but it's of a lesser grade. While the paper is still crisp and the corners are almost sharp, it has a center fold, some yellowing and a pair of staple holes. It was affordable and serves my purpose as a memento of my time spent in the leach infested waters of the Mekong Delta. It helps to fill a spot in a display case along with other MPC Series notes of the Vietnam era, unit engraved Zippo lighters, Challenge Coins, plus awards and decorations received. Have a B&W snapshot of myself dressed in Viet Cong black pajamas, holding a captured AK-47 rifle. Can't believe I was ever that young and so rawhide lean. Time is not kind to old veterans. Being a bit more technical [not the right word], it is noted that the Master Sergeant is wearing bright gold-colored stripes on his sleeve. That, plus being armed with an M-14 rifle, indicates an early-in-the-war picture. The M-16 rifle started showing up in numbers at the time of the troop build-up, beginning with the landing of the Marines in Da Nang, APR65. We went from bright to subdued insignia during '67. This was a creeping change that started in '66, when we dyed our white T-shirts, boxer shorts and bath towels green. Army issued felt tipped markers were use to darken our bright work. This applies to Grunts who humped the bush, searching for the Cong [aka, Charlie]. I'm reluctant to quibble about the tank shown, but here goes. Rather than being the iconic M-4 Sherman tank of WW II fame, the Series 681 shows an early model from the M-48 series of Patton tanks. The main gun compensator looks like the one used on M-48A1 models. The configuration of the compensator was changed in later models. This also serves to date the picture as being rather early in the Nam period. There is little room for confusing the profiles of the two M-series tanks. The Sherman stands way taller than the Patton --- Sherman is tall and short, Patton is low and long. For those who are curious ------- You are hereby awarded he MPC Meritorious Medal for Excellence. Again, good on you!!!
