Ok, I have read what I could find, and browsed through threads here, but I am still mostly lost. I am a long-time coin collector, but the thought that paper money was collectible had never even crossed my mind until I saw this sub-forum If I were to start keeping an eye out for paper worth saving, what am I looking for? Just the most basic things? I have seen mention of "stars" and "red seals", and obviously anything with an older date is good. what else? And WHY are "stars" and "red seals" good? Sorry, but like I said, I am an ABSOLUTE newbie at this thought process, and need to work from the ground up Lol! All replies appreciated, and thanks for taking the time to read this, even if you don't respond! <3
Great to hear you are catching the Paper Money bug khay. There's lots and lots to learn... and you can get really specific in to what and why you collect the same as one might with series of coins. It will seem overwhelming at first but don't give up, and don't give up on your coin colelcting either if you still enjoy it. I wish I'd started earlier in paper too as I always found it odd that I didn't focus on it as much as coins but felt the two ought to be collected more equally. Anyway, if you are starting out in paper money and looking to do so in US currency, then I suggest you start looking for reading material, books and links online as well as continuing to browse these threads. There are lots of amazing World Currencies too, so don't close the door on them too soon as they might sneak into your field of interests at some point as well. There's nothing to be sorry about starting out in something new. Let's just address a couple of things as simply as we can now, why stars you ask? why red seals you ask? star notes, there's fewer of them (lower printage and lower surviving notes in higher grades). red seals, they are from discontinued series, the same with brown, blues, yellows... you will learn about them all. That's my post for now. I have LOTS of great links and suggestions to share with you and you can find many of them in threads in the past too. Glad to have another interested CTer curious about Paper Money. I hope you enjoy it. I sure have and have many CTers to thank for helping me along as I became more serious aobut expanding my interests into Paper Money. Welcome!
Hello khay, I'm also new to paper money. I guess just like coins , there is many different ways to collect. modern , old ETC.. national bank notes, federal, confederate, obsolete, colonial ETC... I'm trying to mix it up now but manly I have been working on my large note collection. I like the size & the old english writings on some of the notes. of course rare notes are a target. which I gather has to do with the run amount(kinda like the mintage) and the friedberg # also comes into play. which I will let the paper money veterans explain that one and enlighten us on paper money collecting. but my suggestion is to stick with quality. unless it's super rare I would avoid low grade notes. just my opinion. Good Luck.
Thanks guys. I suppose my first interest, if I do start collecting paper, would probably be the same as back when I first started coin collecting - 1 of each individual kind (1 indian head, 1 wheat, 1 memorial copper, 1 memorial zinc, 1 V nickel, 1 buffalo, 1 jefferson, 1 war, 1 mercury, 1 roosevelt silver, 1 roosevelt clad, 1 standing liberty, 1 silver washington, 1 bicentennial, 1 clad washington, 1 walking liberty, 1 franklin, 1 silver kennedy, 1 40% kennedy, 1 bicentennial, 1 clad kennedy, 1 peace, 1 morgan, 1 ike, 1 ike bicentennial, 1 sue-b). (Yes, I know there are tons more, older, but that was my first collection goal... lol! and at the time, nothing newer ) So I will go find a list of each major change to the lower denomination bills, for now - 1s, 2s, 5s, and maybe 10s, and see about working my way back along the trail of changes Again, thanks for the support
@khay: Below is a link to an older CT thread but it's something that might pique your interest in light of your one-of-each collecting example you mentioned. Now, you will learn there are many varieties and design changes with notes as signatories changed and again when series themselves changed over time, but for one such collecting idea, to help you get started thinking, check this out: Done! $1 note type set
I would suggest that you may start here to learn about US Small Size Paper Money. This will provide a good overview to assist with your determination of collecting method, choice and area of interest denomination wise. 1 of everything will cost you a fortune.
Welcome to this side of the forum, Khay I wrote an article for new folks to collecting that you might get something out of - http://www.frenchbanknotes.com/articles/collecting.php Dave
Welcome to collecting paper money. Say good bye to your wallet and any other expendable cash you may have. I wrote a few articles on paper money in The Newbie Institute that you could check out. Here is the link for that: http://www.cointalk.com/groups/59/ It's not all-inclusive, but could be a start for you.
Polymer notes, error notes, fractionals, world notes, Nationals, Large Type, Military Payment Certificates, Colonials, Small Size, Obsoletes........ we've got you now, Khay..... Life won't be the same for you anymore...... :devil:
Could not agree more. I received this guide for Christmas, and have found it to be extremely informative, and helpful. If you're just getting started in the hobby, this is a great choice.
@khay: Here's another great book which covers the US Small Size Paper Money but is also inclusive of large size, fractional and other US currency. I use both books, the one Rick mentioned and this one, and find them indispensable! A Guide Book of United States Paper Money by Arthur L. Friedberg and Ira S. Friedberg
IF US Small Size Paper Money is your chosen area, then that sounds great. Otherwise, there are thousands of great books on paper money that might be of interest. For me, the starting point is not a default presumption that collecting notes from the USA (i.e. one corner of our large planet) is the answer, but it is upstream from that decision. What are your personal interests, are they in US history? Are they in art? Are they in people and social events? Is your family heritage from a particular country that you "connect" with? Are you a detail-oriented collector that dives in to every minute detail? Are you one who gets frustrated at not being able to complete a collection? Are there monetary limits that might be important to consider? Personally I would do a bit of soul searching with questions like that before I picked out a particular area to collect. Dave
If you thought the small paper bills are fun to collect, just wait until you get into the large bills. It's addicting like all get out!
You will have to excuse my assumption that you meant Small Size Notes when you asked about stars and red seals...Dave M is correct when it comes to banknotes and collecting possibilities. There are so many areas to collect and different Countries too. The World is your oyster so to speak....pick that area in which you find the notes most interesting and then get the intel. Remember to have fun and know what it is that you are buying.
