other than obvious factors... condition, run size, total printed, serial number(low number/fancy serial)… what are the NOT obvious factors? like, does the district play a part? do the block letters play a part? whatever you can tell me, I would very much appreciate it. thank you.
Scorecard sellers at ballparks across our country yell out, “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.” This holds true with replacement (Star) notes also. Without a guide, either online or in written form, you really don’t know. Modern star notes are heavily dependent on condition for value and collectibility, whereas older notes can still be valuable in circulated condition. As a general rule, sheet replacement notes are more in demand and valuable than pack replacement notes, because there are much less of them. Districts play a major role also. The BEP printed 250K 2017 $1 Minneapolis replacement notes, which they hadn’t printed since series 1995, so these were in high demand and bring high prices even in circulated condition.
http://www.mycurrencycollection.com...s-of-star-notes-sheet-notes-vs-regular-notes/ https://www.mycurrencycollection.com/reference/star-notes/lookup
My dad gave me hundreds of these notes. He just always pulled it aside when he saw the star. I went through each one and found a few that were from fairly rare runs. He didnt care, and I had no interest, so I put them on the Bay for basically just over face value. No interest. I even offered them to the guy who runs that website. No interest. So I put them as a one huge bundle at face value plus enough to cover ebay, paypal, and shipping charge and it eventually sold. Even that took some time.
I just started exploring this entire collectible genre very recently and, though I find it interesting and enjoyable, it definitely seems to fit the category "niche market." It feels much smaller than coins in many way, but I don't have a full sense of it yet. Please correct me if I've interpreted things wrongly.
Like anything else in life, learning all of the intricate ins and outs of what makes a note more valuable can take many, many years. Just ask members like: @SteveInTampa, @mpcusa, @Numbers or others. Read, study, learn and you can still be surprised. Good luck on your endeavor.
Great collections, like the Eric P Newman collection, that were collected over many years are good examples of what the hobby is all about. Star notes made up some of his collection but were definitely not the focus. Star notes, especially low denomination modern star notes, are popular with new collectors because they are often found in circulation and it doesn’t break the bank to keep them. Another great collection, the Bebee Collection, assembled by Aubrey and Adeline Bebee is another collection focused on quality examples of both large and small size notes that can be viewed here, http://ana-museum.org/ . I never get tired of looking at their notes.
https://collectiblemoney.blogspot.com/2018/09/united-states-dollar-star-note.html I wrote a short piece describing star notes and their value a while back.
In short, what makes star notes valuable is how much value you put on it and convince others that it's worth what you claim! What I like, you may not. I like all star notes as collectable. It's just fun to collect them, but I wouldn't pay for one unless it was vintage.
I guess it depends on who you ask and where you're located. I collect star notes, but certain conditions have to be met. If the note is prior to 1928 and is what is commonly called a horse blanket, if it has a star on it I want it. If it's a modern note, I only collect them if they are in crisp uncirculated condition. Having said that, one of my favorite star notes is a 1928 Silver Certificate, which is a smaller sized note. It graded out to a 50, so it's not uncirculated, but it still one of my favorites. Members of my coin club collect them, and when we have our spring and fall shows, the dealers try to make sure they have a few in stock. I also have a BEP half sheet of $2 Bill's, that are star notes, hanging on my den wall. The saying in coin collecting, "collect what you like", also applies to notes.
