Hey guys, I'm back, took a hiatus from collecting for a lil while. Anyways here is my problem. I have searched the forum and read several posts. I have recently got a copy of the SCWPM 2 General Issue so I could start cataloging my collection. I thought someone told me in teh past that this catalog had a consistent catalog system established called PICK and I thought I could use it to place labels on each of my holders with the associated number, but no luck. I started with a US WW2 1 Hawaii Note, and foudn that it is listed as 36, but every country has a 36, so I cant catalog anything until I figure out how this system works. I appreciate any help, thanks. Also, since after I am done with my paper money I will be moving on to coins and I have the Standard Catalog of World Coins aswell, could you give some advice on this system as well?
Albert Pick was the original author of the SCWPM. Us old-timers still refer to the book as the Pick catalog. The numbering system in the catalog starts over from 1 for most countries. You would need to list the country as well as the number for a complete reference.
Currency is identified in the paper money Standard Catalogs by a combining the country name and a "Pick Number". In your example the Pick No. of your Hawaii overprinted note is "USA #36", and other notes may be "Great Britain #36", "Canada #36", "Bulgaria #36", etc. In the coin catalogs it becomes a little more complicated. While "KM#s" are regularly assigned - again in separate series for each country - both Y#s (Yeoman) and C#s (Craig) are used for many coins where either of those respected sources have already assigned numbers. I have well over a dozen comprehensive multi-nation coin/currency catalogs, in several languages, and I have never come across one which uses the type of system you are apparently looking for, where each item would have an unshared numeric designation. I suspect that to be because using a single series of numbers would require six- (or perhaps even seven-) digit numbers, and there would be huge gaps in the numbers designating the coins or currency of any particular country. I should mention that where there have been significant changes of government, as for example the conversion of a colony into an independent nation, Krause is quite inconsistent. In some instances issues of the new entity are numbered in sequence with the original entity, in others a new number series is initiated. There are also inconsistencies in the numbering of coins/currencies of multi-state/province nations, and their national governments - think Germany, Italy, and China as prime examples. Bottom line - simplicity is not a hallmark of numismatic cataloging and research.
Thank you for your help. I see now what you mean by the cataloging. It is really important for me because I have found my self picking my collection up every few months and looking for specific variations of a coin or a specific watermark on a note, i figured if I went through over the next few days and labeled them all it will save me time in the future. Plus now I can keep a ledger of how much I pay for notes, when, etc. Thanks again.
