i need a book and a crown jewel. please help

FIRST: i want to start getting a few pieces of paper and a crown jewel for my collection. at first i was thinking the 1899 silver certificate black eagle, but then i saw the 1891 with Martha. both are appealing to me. i can't decide. i am not a rich man so i have a $150 limit. a vg/f would be fine for me so i can use whatever is left over towards getting something else. which would you say is more appealing?
SECOND: i want to get a cheaper book that has all the US currency from say...1850 on? a book with pictures of each one so i can decide which i want to hunt down. once i get all my targets i can fill in the blanks. hope to get my hands on one of those with the red letters on them. i think they were experimental pieces? a red R and maybe a red S? not sure. thanks for your help

 

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I can only reply to your FIRST: - eye appeal, appealing is like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder. When you are talking about your collection, the only persons opinion that really matters is yours at the end of the day.

 

yes, those were the experimental

 

I know. its hard for me to choose. when I say appeal I don't mean grade wise, but the design of the bill. I think they are both super cool looking. or is there something cooler looking that is old and with a price range of 150 in vg/f I would like to know. looking on ebay would take forever to punch each date and denomination in.

 

what were they experimenting? what significance do the red letters have?

 

In reality only one of the 2 red letter notes is an experimental.
The red S is the experimental paper formula with silk fibers to see if it would last longer in circulation.
The red R is the regular paper formula to compare against. If my memory is accurate.

 

Well, let's see if we can assist. First you should obtain the Friedberg paper money book, Paper Money of the United States, latest edition of 20th; don't know about the 21st edition. This is the standard reference for U.S. paper money as you will see almost all U.S. federal issue notes listed for sale have a Friedberg number. There are others which you might want to peruse at a local book store if available. Banknotes issued in the 1850s are considered "obsolete" currency and you'd need multiple books to have pictures of them all. Now as to the Martha or the Eagle. The Eagle in F-VF will most likely cost anywhere from $125 to $175, whereas the Martha will cost almost twice as much. The Martha notes are Friedberg numbers 215-221 and then 222-223 which has a different reverse design. The Eagle is Friedberg numbers 226-236. Hope this helps a little. Good luck and happy collecting.
You can probably find the Friedberg book on eBay or Amazon but here's a link to the publisher of the Friedberg book.
http://www.coin-currency.com/page8.html

 

Let me offer a different direction on the banknote. Paper money is all about condition. An older note in F-VF may look like a crown jewel in your collection today, but a couple years from now it may look like the mistake you made when you couldn't afford something better. I would recommend finding a particular issue that costs your $125-150 in UNC/GEM/CU condition instead. It may not be as flashy, but I suspect will never look like a mistake. I don't collect US banknotes, so I don't have specific recommendations, but I'm thinking a nice small size blue or red seal note or Hawaii note, or I'm sure others would also qualify.

 

There are many Iconic Large-Size notes to choose from.
Be patient and learn before buying anything. Inexpensive problem notes you buy now will always be problem notes. If you like the notes design, then research current pricing and save until you find a problem free note with eye appeal. I saved up for months, and some times years to find and afford to purchase some of these notes.

 

inexpensive problem notes? could you please explain that one to me? and what do you mean problem free note? thanks for the pics. those are AWESOME IMO

 

to me (not knowing anything) I find anything old to be cool. why would something that looks good today look bad tomorrow? what do you mean by particular issue? I have blues and reds. tellers at the banks I frequent hold old bills for me and occasionally I get lucky with one of those. I want a large note to be the starting point. I know the small ones can get pricy for certain years/series but I don't have ANY large and I MUST HAVE ONE!!!!!!!! watching ebay I can get a Hawaii $1 for think around $25? its cool and all, but I would probably look at the large note 3-4 times a week at least for 6 months before I was craving another piece

 

I think that Friedberg book sounds like what I am looking for. my 1850 is to early. something definitely with some large size notes in it. does the Friedberg numbers have to do with different eagles? I noticed on ebay that different eagles had different names in the listing headings. maybe different signatures? the book is helpful. thank you

 

I don't want to speak for Steve but there's a pawn shop I routinely "troll" looking for deals as he often takes coins/currency on pawn that's never picked up. He currently has a really nice FRBN, Fr. 711, grades XF I'm guessing and he wants $265; not bad except it's a "problem note" -- coffee stains 1/4 to 1/2 inch across bottom of the note; nice note without the coffee, otherwise I offered $25, refused of course.
And I can certainly understand your desire for a Large size and "MUST HAVE ONE" dilemma, but please be patient or you might fall into the trap so many have. You
certainly don't want to suffer real buyer's remorse months/years down the road.
Never buy junk! Never! Buy the best you can afford that is problem free and you'll smile for a long, long, time.

 

Example of a problem note; only real problem is I only paid $30 for it MANY years ago. And for MANY years it was the ONLY Large Size note I owned.

 

I get the problem note reference now. if I were to get a note like that it would have to be something that costs $150 in that condition and I would have to NEED it to fill in the last gap. but I would try to avoid anything that might fall apart in my hands. I never buy anything for a BIN price. I only do auction style to try to save whatever I can where I can. I am looking at this SUPER nice eagle that ends sunday and I think I am going to max $150 but I fear it is to nice and I will get outbid.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/381390909534?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

I was looking at this Martha a little beat up. do you think one in this grade would go above my $150 limit?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1891-Large-...-Washington-/231680540631?hash=item35f13c7fd7

 

I guess the point is that you could buy a note in F-VF condition today and be excited about it, but down the road, especially if you continue and grow your collection and collecting budget, you may not be as pleased with a F-VF copy of that note and will want to replace it. A nice crisp UNC note, you are unlikely to want to replace it, and if you did, it will more likely hold its value or appreciate.

But it sounds like you're fixated on a large size note, which is fine. I was just offering a different viewpoint.

 

Well, IMHO, don't go for the Martha--WAIT for better. The Eagle you may indeed get outbid at $150, but again if so then another will show up. Patience will always keep $$ in your pocket. Remember what Charles Goren said when asked the secret of his success as a Bridge World Champion-- "Learn to PASS"

 

@techwriter is correct.

If your description of a potential purchase includes, nice note but it's missing a piece from the upper margin, and part of a corner is missing, and the bottom is split, and there's a heavy fold through the main design feature, and it's stained along the left margin....then maybe you should wait, save some money, and find a better example. This is a classic "problem" note.

 

A classic "problem" note:

However, cost only $5 and bank will replace if I take it in to them.