Hi. I am considering starting a fractional currency collection. Was wondering if any of you have a suggestion as to how I should go about it. That is, collect them by year, type, region, etc. Thanks!
SPECIALIZED FRACTIONAL CURRENCY REFERENCES: • "A Collectors Guide to Postal and Fractional Currency" by Rob Kravitz • My Fractional Notes.com is a web site devoted to Fractional Currency by forum member dtreter • PCDA Fractional Currency booklet
It was quite a few years ago, perhaps 2004 when I was at a Boston Coin Show that I discovered Paper Money. What I did not know at the time was what path this would lead me down. All of the sudden I had a new "passion" a thirst that would be everlasting, or so I thought. I bought my first piece of Large Size paper money that year , a Series 1914 $20 Fed Reserve Note (Blue Seal) "Transportation Note" as it was called due to vignettes on the reverse. Man was it ever beautiful to me! It just happened to be from the NY Fed Reserve Bank with Burke/McAdoo signatures. From this point on I was on the hunt for all notes "New York". While on a business trip I landed in a small Mid-Western town in Illinois and found myself in a local coin shop not to search for coins, however, I was on the hunt for more notes. This is where I discovered fractionals. I began with the 4th issue the 25 cent Washington note and learned there were several varities of them and the next thing you know....off and running full speed on the best examples I could find and buy. This new driving force inside of me began internet searches to find who would become a very reputable source for what I was after. Not only did I admire the man for his integrity, but for his renound research in National Banknotes. I am speaking of Professor Don C. Kelly. Over the next few years I would study and purchase every book I could on the subject. What wonderful little notes the fractionals are and a collection of high grade notes were on the very tip of my quest. I decided to accquire the 4th and 5th issues of which I did and these were the first sets of notes that started the once known RickieB Collection. What I am telling you is that there are many ways to start a collection and the best way is to limit any potential mistakes along the way. You see, you must first talk to yourself and dedicate yourself to what you want, then set out on a path to accquire it. Having the means to build a high grade collection will be required and my personal mantra is "always buy the very best you can afford". Buy the books first, and join the FCCB (Fractional Currency Collectors Board) learn what is needed to build a set! Some examples are rare and elusive, they can get quite expensive as well for top grade notes. Eliminate mistakes buy high quality and if you are young, time is on your side. Visit the website of Don C Kelly and tell him Rick B sent you. He is a man of few words as most brilliant men are! Learn to grade, go to a few shows, but most important is save your money for nice examples. You never know where the intention of such a collection may take you. For me it took me all through history and introduced me to many fine people including an author/friend by the name of Mr. Gene Hessler, I meet many fine dealers in Paper Money that treated me with kindness , respect and they shared their knowledge. The con's of building fine collections is the sacrifices that you make along the way as every thousand dollars you put into it, takes away from your normal lifes consumables. Record your collection, every detail and keep every receipt. This my fellow collector are words of experience. If you are lucky like I was, you will be rewarded with a wealth of knowledge, a thirst for even more and one heck of a collection mine ended at (~ 450 notes). I will venture to say that you will branch off, many of us do and I am sure you will be thrilled with it as time goes on. Regards, RickieB
As a collector of many fractional notes i can tell you the best place to start is with The 5th issue many of these can be had for reasonable $$$ such as the 25 cent Robert J. Walker no: 1308 (Long Key) or 1309 (Short Key) for around $75 in Unc Condition on sites like e-bay
I have 3 of them, the 10 cent, 25 cent and 50 cent all from the 5th issue. I agree that this is a very affordable place to start....
Regarding the 5th Issue>>> Other collcetors are finding that AAFES POGS , which are being used in war zones of Afganistan and Iraq, are getting harder and harder to find. This is a form of MPC that has been used since 2001..
I could get lost in the fractional notes .com for hours just studying all the different positions from the sheets and just all the great notes they have on this site. Thanks.
Aafes Pogs could be a low cost investment opportunity. 497 different POGS make up the 15 Printings that were released since 2001 to our service members over in Combat areas...
