Advice on a very ratty but cool note

Discussion in 'Paper Money' started by Blasty, Jun 8, 2020.

  1. Blasty

    Blasty Gold Member

    Hi Everyone,

    I picked up this note as a 13-year-old young numismatist 21 years ago and paid way too much, as looking at eBay listings, it's still not quite worth I paid for it back then. I was so excited at the prospect of owning a large-size star note, and thinking these were scarcer than they are, that I made a dumb decision ;)

    As you can see, it is extremely dirty and wrinkled. Good idea or not, it spent some months pressed between the pages of a large book when I was a kid, in an attempt to remedy some of the wrinkly-ness. It helped a bit but not much.

    My question is, for a note like this, is there any benefit to attempting to further flatten it out, or to do something about how stained it is? I understand attempts to improve a note are pretty much frowned upon, just like cleaning coins.

    I *thought* about giving it a soak in acetone for a while to see if it could wash out some of the dirt, after trying with a worn and torn 1953 $2 note to confirm it wouldn't dissolve the ink or otherwise alter the paper. However, my coin collecting conscience says don't do it.

    So, any experiences "improving" ratty notes like this, or is it best that I just enjoy it for what it is (and always have the reminder not to buy something on impulse)?

    Thanks! 1923_SC_1.jpg
     
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  3. Searcher64

    Searcher64 Member

    It's a "Star" note. If it was unc would be worth about $500 to $1450.00 retail. That's from Bank Note Reporter 2019 Oct. In that condition maybe $200.00. So I would keep it. Do you know what "Star" notes are? They are replacement notes. They are the replacement for any note of that series that were removed because they were defective in some way during production.
     
    xCoin-Hoarder'92x likes this.
  4. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    I'm not a paper money person, but I'll make a coin comparison. Sometimes someone cleans an old low grade coin and it just ends up looking wrong for what it is. Unnatural, like. I dunno if that is the case with paper money or not, or whether or not you can do anything with that.

    But for what it's worth, that looks to me like I would expect an old circulated note of its era to look like. Low grade, yeah, but otherwise not objectionable to my eyes. You said "ratty" and I expected ragged edges or old yellowed tape or such. Sure, this one has creases and did its job in commerce, but I don't fault it for that. It has character, the same way an old G-VG Indian cent or Barber coin would.

    I'd leave it alone. But I'm a coin guy and not a paper guy, so take my advice with the proverbial grain of salt.
     
  5. QuintupleSovereign

    QuintupleSovereign Well-Known Member

    Keep it the way it is, if only for sentimental reasons. Reminds me of a purchase of my own a while back as a teenager: a 1916-S Walker in G-4, right as pricing for the series started to decrease in lower grades. Even so, it'll be in my collection for many decades hence.
     
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  6. toned_morgan

    toned_morgan Toning Lover

    Keep it and don't clean it! Stars are always worth quite a bit. How much did you pay for it?
     
    CaptainMK likes this.
  7. ldhair

    ldhair Clean Supporter

    I would just put it in a nice protective holder. Don't mess with it. It's a nice note just the way it is.
     
    CREATIVECRHUNTER likes this.
  8. Mountain Man

    Mountain Man Supporter! Supporter

    Acetone is okay for coins, but I doubt that it wouldn't harm currency, so don't make any attempt at cleaning. It is not a high quality note, so wouldn't warrant having it professional cleaned. If you want a high grade note, shop for one you can afford and sell the one you have, loss or not, you'll be happier, in my opinion.
     
    midas1 likes this.
  9. mpcusa

    mpcusa "Official C.T. TROLL SWEEPER"

    Obviously, this is the good way to remember part of your youth, as its really
    more valuable that way then the couple dollars you could get ever get for it,
    maybe framed in your office ? your not going to enhance the value by trying
    flatten out the note further many people can tell that it has been "Pressed"
    which cab bring down the value further.
     
    midas1 likes this.
  10. Johnny Nashville

    Johnny Nashville Smile.. It's Better to Rock than Roll

    Not that it's a big deal who was born or who died.... But the Peace Treaty ratification could be... Well... Just depends I guess... And still not sure if a special date in a serial number is supposed to start at the beginning of a number.. but probably still may be cool to someone or something to look for in future Bills... Special/significant dates/important events/births/deaths
     

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  11. SteveInTampa

    SteveInTampa Always Learning

    Put it in a currency sleeve and leave it alone.
     
  12. Blasty

    Blasty Gold Member

    Thanks for the input, everyone.

    I am going to leave it alone. I felt a bit silly after asking - and it would really take some guts to actually do anything to it - but wasn't quite sure where we draw the line on "improving" worn notes. Thought it would be interesting to get some perspective.

    I probably wouldn't think of it except that it bugs me once in a while to be reminded that I probably got ripped off, but otherwise I really like the note for what it is and am not looking to ever sell it.

    It is stored safely in my currency album that I've been casually filling over the years. I just took it out for the picture before returning it.

    To answer about the cost, I think I paid $80 at a coin shop in 1999. That was a lot of saved allowances and mowed lawns at the time and my entire coin/currency fund when I made the purchase. To date it is the most I've ever paid for a note in my collection, not counting a spanking new 10,000 Yen note that I saved from an ATM on a recent work trip to Japan. Looking at Ebay recently, I see notes like mine going for a bit less to about what I paid 21 years later... live and learn I guess!
     
    CREATIVECRHUNTER likes this.
  13. George McClellan

    George McClellan Active Member

    Blasty: You were very brave and a true collector.
     
    Kentucky likes this.
  14. masterswimmer

    masterswimmer A Caretaker, can't take it with me

    @Blasty every single one of us who collected 1970's thru 1980's US minted proof sets acquired directly thru the mint feels like we were scammed also. Unfortunately for us it was an annual event. Luckily for you it was a single solitary occurrence.

    We all have regrets in this hobby. Yours was isolated and you learned a valuable, and inexpensive lesson.

    Sock that note away and enjoy it.
     
    CREATIVECRHUNTER likes this.
  15. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    Don't try and make it better in any way. Just place in a pvc free currency sleeve and let it be.
     
  16. Searcher64

    Searcher64 Member

    I used to buy from the mint. Never now, wait and buy a few weeks later and you can then feel that you were not taken advantage of. Way too many people that buy the latest low mintage items, then flood the internet with them at high prices. Look at some of the coin magazines and look at the coins just released at very high prices. If you try to order from the mint you are way too late.
     
  17. johnmilton

    johnmilton Well-Known Member

    It is interesting that it is a star note. (Replacement for an error or damaged note with the same serial number.) The stars were definitely different in those dates.
     
  18. SteveInTampa

    SteveInTampa Always Learning

    Every collector I know, including myself, has overpaid for a note at least once...I call it Tuition.
     
    George McClellan and johnmilton like this.
  19. CREATIVECRHUNTER

    CREATIVECRHUNTER Well-Known Member

    Considering this Star Note is approaching it's 100 Birthday, I'd say it looks rather good for it's age.

    How many other paper products from 1923 survive, let alone aren't torn or have attempted repairs from long ago?

    Protect and save. : )
     
  20. Jim Dale

    Jim Dale Well-Known Member

    I'm probably wrong for doing this.. but I use an iron on as low as I can get it, and press it and try not to singe it. I don't do this to old notes, but when I get some recent notes in numerical order, I try to make them as nice as I can. Probably the wrong thing, but, after all, it's my money.
     
  21. Mountain Man

    Mountain Man Supporter! Supporter

    We all learn from our mistakes. If you can remember the first time you touched something hot, after being told not to a dozen times by others, you quickly learned what "hot" was, so over paying for something is just another learning experience, which sounds like you've already learned. I'd hang on to it for the memories and forget about the cost. Just remember how excited you were when you bought it. That's worth more than the money.
     
    SteveInTampa likes this.
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