The more I look into paper money...the more I fall in love with some of the designs found on old large size notes. The trouble is, I am only able to buy online so I feel I need to purchase graded notes as I can't really see them in person (and I haven't found a decent dealer near me). I'm OK buying online...but what I want to know is, are PMG and PCGS the only TPGs worth looking at? I know with coins PCGS and NGC really are the only decent companies today. My goal is...to save up some of my monthly coin/currency budget and pick up a nice large size note...maybe one every few months. I believe I'm best served doing this with graded bills. One question I have is...at what grade do most notes have decent eye appeal? I don't want to buy rags...but my budget is limited. From what I have seen...VF-XF notes tend to look nice. I'm feeling that below that the quality is rough. What do you think? That said, sometimes I may have to dip down below that grade level due to price. Of course, this doesn't include my search for Eugene, OR nationals as I will take what I can get there.
those are the only 2 TPG's i would get notes from. it really depends on the collector what they consider good eye appeal. for me i didn't go for anything less then XF with graded large sized notes. for small sized notes i was more picky and mostly went for AU or higher unless it was a really scarce note. good luck on your quest
It really depends on who you're buying from. Raw notes from trusted online dealers should be fine. Most of them have no problems accepting returns if you disagree on the grade. Graded notes are fine but are usually a bit more expensive. Sometimes you can find notes in the very fine range with good eye appeal.
CGA is also a reliable TPG, although they might be slightly more lenient at issuing high grades 66+. Even trusted eBay dealers will often sell doctored, whether or not they know it. Check out this thread: http://www.cointalk.com/t215040/ My policy is to buy graded large size notes or raw notes in person so I can examine them. Another good tool to have is Track & Price. I found eBay notes, and looked them up by serial number in Track & Price. I happened to find a lot of them sold on Heritage in their third party holders, looking a lot worse for wear.
I have no problem picking up raw notes...the problem is, I have no local dealers that I can find that are decent. If someone here has recommendations for good online dealers, I would be very interested. My thought was...buying online is risky so I should take all the precautions I can. Which to me means buying graded notes.
I would stick with graded notes unless you can see them in hand. So far all of the better large size notes I have picked up have been graded and I have seen them in-hand first. Like better coins, grade can make a big difference in cost. I almost bought a battleship note ungraded at the WFOM but passed because I spent my money somewhere else. When you are spending high 3 to 4 figures, I think you need to see it or have had someone else look at it that you can trust. Once you build a relationship with a dealer you trust then I would consider buying ungraded. I love the large size notes but they can be really costly. That said it is one of my primary areas of focus right now.
Fair enough. I also feel that if I'm going to drop $1K+ on a note...I should have some insurance. I think TPGs provide that.
I was amazed (i am not sure why ) at the difference of appearance within the same grade. I am really happy I was able to shop the show to pick the notes I liked within the budget I set. (cost varied from $850 to $1400 for the same note/grade across more than 10 notes) There were some notes in the same grade I would not have been happy to own graded as such. Again, it is like high grade coins - sometimes the coins do not seem to fit the grade. That said, safer than raw.
I've dealt with Executive several times, been happy, and now I'm on their mailing list. I'd also recommend Scott Lindquist http://scottlindquist.com/
I personally like Executive, but also have been able to get decent graded notes from Heritage auctions during their Tuesday online auctions.
I've bought a lot of notes from Vern Potter http://vernpotter.com/VernPotter/Home.htm and a lot from Denlys http://www.denlys.com/ and have had nothing but good experiences from both.
This is the best list of places to buy Currency that I have found to date: http://forums.collectors.com/messag...highlight_key=y&keyword1=spend&keyword2=money It is from another forum and is posted respectfully, but it is still the best I have found....
CamaroDMD: When I started my Large Size Collection years ago I went into it knowing that in "Collectables" condition is everything! I have always in the past mentioned "buy the best quality you can afford" and if that takes saving a little longer for it well so be it. Find a Dealer who will work with you and work out terms on lay-a-way, most respectable dealers will do this for you..(you can PM me for a recomendation if you like) so it is important to establish a good working relationship. The lowest grade I ever settled for in any Large Size note was AU58...due to the next level be $1000's in upward movement. When I was forced to sell due to health...some notes I did very well on and some were not so good. Please always feel free to email me (home address...you have it) and we can arrange to discuss if you want to. I wish you the best of luck and hope the book serves you well. Your friend,
