Imperfections: Deal Breaker or No?

When you find a note you're interested in, how important are imperfections to you? Are you totally put off by an almost perfect note if it has a tiny ding on the corner or perhaps a number written on it in pen or pencil? Or are you ok with the trade off of a lower price for a better condition (even though it would now be considered a lower grade because of the blemish).. I guess if you have no intention of selling then maybe it doesn't matter..

Just curious as to what's important to different collectors

 

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It depends on the note. If it is a truly scarce note, sometimes you have to take them as you find them or you may never get an opportunity to have that type of note again.

If it is one that is readily available I would pass for one without the blemish.

 

I usually pass on notes that aren't as nice as I want, though I did recently see a note that I've been thinking about getting in really nice condition with a number written on it at about 75% less than what it would be without it which is what made me think about asking the question

 

I personally do not collect anything with distractions such as ink marks, missing corners, rips etc, where value is impacted, here,s an example the other day i saw
A Series 611 $10 in 64 the only distraction was a couple of staple holes in the boarder other then that it was pristine, the value of the note with out the staple
holes is roughly around $1,200 but with the staple holes value is decreased by about
60%

 

I don't buy paper money as an investment - the historical aspect is more appealing to me. I've bought several cheap, flawed notes that would otherwise cost more than I'm willing to spend. I guess it's really a personal preference. I'd rather have a diverse collection of imperfect notes than just one pristine but extremely expensive note.

 

That's what I'm interested in knowing.. would you purchase that note for 60% off or even at a steep discount is it still a note you wouldn't buy?

 

I think I might be inclined to purchase a note in great condition if I could get 70% off its non-blemished price.. especially if its otherwise out of my price range

 

Well its a personal decision, i collect investment quality MPC and for me if you plan on turning the note you will have a much tougher time because of the distraction
what ever that may be even though your thinking your getting a deal, just my two cents

 

Definitely not looking to sell it.. never sold a note in my entire life. Just looking for a nice example thats not out of my price range.. and if I can get one at almost half off, by the time my kids get it (and possibly want to sell it in 20 years) I'm sure it won't sell for less than I paid for it for

 

I take damaged notes any day. As long as the rest is decent, around XF, I'm good. I'll take a note with missing corner, small tears, stains, burns, as long as I can see the vignettes

 

It all depends on the note and the price and especially, "How bad do I want it?"

 

Imperfections don't bother me at all. I originally got into obsoletes for the vast amount of history in em. There's not much history in something that was never used.

 

My favorite coin is a nice seated quarter that has contemporary graffiti - 5 sets of initials. I have all sorts of fun stories about this one.

I also have a 1957 $1 silver certificate that has, written in ink, "Good luck, Gram". That graffiti makes it worth face value but the history behind that short statement makes it worth more to me.

 

After months of searching and much deliberation it appears that the answer to my question is, Yes.. I’m ok with the trade-off of a lower price for a damaged note… I’ve been looking for a nice Bison note for many months now and unfortunately for me, the notes in the condition I wanted were more than I wanted to spend on a single note.

Fortunately, I realized that I didn’t mind the writing on this note because I was able to add a Bison to my collection for less than I was seeing PMG 20’s selling for, so for me to get the note in such great condition was, as they say, an offer I couldn’t refuse

 

I don't necessarily agree with this, and I'm guessing I'm not alone. The vast majority of large sized uncirculated notes attract much higher prices than their circulated counterparts. How would someone even know or verify the history of the usage of a 100 year old circulated note ?

Nice Bison, except for that distracting writing on the face.

 

That ink should come off easily. I'm surprised the seller didn't have it conserved before selling it.

 

Do you know much about this ?

How would someone remove the ink without cleaning and brightening the field around it ? Wouldn't it leave the paper whiter in that one spot, or would they additionally have to clean the entire note ?

 

Many notes in the market have been conserved, repaired, cleaned, etc. The result depends on a lot of things especially the experience of the conservator. I for one do not see the big deal about filled pin holes, cleaning, etc. If you cannot tell the note is repaired/enhanced in some way, is it?

Spot first. Then may need to conserve the entire note. Don't try it unless you are experienced.

 

I thought the writing would bother me but because of the superb condition its in, it doesn't .... its got no hard folds, nice corners color, paper quality... overall in really great shape

 

If you don't mind it, it doesn't matter.

When I first saw your post, the iconic Bison note, my eyes didn't gravitate to the Bison, or even to Lewis or Clark. My eyes immediately noticed the ink writing on the face. Once again, if it doesn't bother you, that's all that matters.