collector's corner:

Saturdays:

l add to this "Collector's Corner" page & I share personal opinions & RECENT OBSERVATIONS. View my Corner Spotlight for my personal observations & strategies.  I also provide some background info behind specific personal sets (NEW SPOTS/nation).

Note the Notaphilyc Reads page which contains links to interesting online articles I have discovered re: some aspect of this gr8t hobby.  Also check out my videos below & Social Media Links. Trust me folks, after 50 years of collecting & 6 years of contributing to this site, there's a whole lot of info for one to take in on Notaphilyc Culture.  

MONTHLY: 

After each month passes, I add to my MONEY MARKET link for tips on how the market for collecting currency seems to be.  These are my opinions based on observations, chatter on US/World forums, and may or may not be relevant to you as a buyer (but I do try to give an informed opinion).  Check out this article on The 7 coolest currencies in the world by Morgan Croissant.  I added a WORLD MOTIF page which may help new collectors get an idea what they should go for. It may also help one to form 1 or 2 collector goals to form a type SET. I hope you can also draw the line on what NOT TO COLLECT so what you do collect only becomes better & better. But again, this is a personal quest so the less said, the better.

Do not consider it "Gospel" (even if I do) or a "get-rich-quick" money scheme. That is my disclaimer & I will take no responsibility whatsoever from anyone who goes broke collecting world currency!  Some strategies may prove helpful while others may not. You must become your own judge on how far you go down this rabbit hole.

• View the Taking note: Currency Collector's Corner blog

• If you'd like to leave a comment please drop an email to notaphilyc@gmail.com, (& I will post them if you wish). 

money market

collector's corner

recent observations:

• January 30th 2026: I am still contributing to How far can we go thread. Next Saturday I will update my Overlooked World Notes thread on CoinsandCanada. I will discuss some overlooked African nations (like the Democratic Republic of the Congo). UNC examples can still be found for $30USD (or less) of the 1997 One Franc & higher denominations (which have some tough variations). I apologize for today's short entry but 

• January 24th 2026: I am still contributing to How far can we go thread & my weekly contribution to Overlooked World Notes on CoinsandCanada. This week I have added a few overlooked nations (the Seychelles & St. Helena) off the coast of Africa. As I mention in the C&C thread, I won't consider colonial paper since we all know these issues were scarce & many collectors chase them. 

• January 17th 2026: This past week I have continued adding to the How far can we go thread & my weekly contribution to Overlooked World Notes on CoinsandCanada. This week I have focussed on New Zealand's series of pre-polymer notes. I have added a first prefix, a radar and a replacement from this nation so please check it out! Next week, I will look to some African nations. 

• January 10th 2026: Today I continued to contribute to the Coin Community Forum WORLD PAPER thread on How far we can go with banknotes? Check it out as I showcase some of my collection. I also have added some favourites from Tonga & Papua New Guinea (PNG) for the CoinsandCanada's Overlooked World Notes! Please check it out & remember to drop me a line if you have any questions.

• January 3rd 2026: Happy New Year to all who may be tuning in! This past week has been a busy one. I have continued to contribute to the Coin Community Forum WORLD PAPER thread on How far we can go with banknotes? Check it out as it has picked up some contributors since last week. I also have added some special # notes from the Philippines for the CoinsandCanada's Overlooked World Notes! Please check it out & remember my Jamaican Spotlight page. For the next month, I must do site management (create an ARCHIVE for these Collector Corner entries, etc) so please bear with me as I get caught up on this. Appreciate your patience & good luck with your new collector goals!

• December 27th 2025: I really hope that all of you who have tuned into my weekly observations have a wonderful holiday & a terrific Christmas, Hanukah or whatever you may celebrate this time of year. I hope you take time to reconnect with your family or loved ones: I know I am! And for that reason (because I am rather preoccupied) I will keep today's entry short & sweet. I have been enjoying contributing old posted notes to a CCF thread called "How far can we go - with Banknotes?" Today, I will add a couple 2004 notes from Suriname (because today 12/27 represents the year 2004). I posted 2 of these Surinamese first Dollars on CoinsandCanada's Overlooked World Notes! thread (09/15/25). Please take the link to check out the Asian examples I've posted there today (12/27: notes from South Vietnam & Thailand).  While I know there are many more overlooked world notes than I can cover, I hope you'll find the examples I have posted, somewhat helpful.  The one thing I have been trying to do is keep posting notes that don't cost a small fortune, yet have high Numista Rarity Indexes (or NRI #).  I hope I am not misleading with this INDEX since it is in fact an algorithm or rating based on the # of collectors who own the note or wish to trade it. From the NUMISTA link above, they conculde: 

• If you have a really rare item, it will have a high Numista Rarity Index.

• If you have an item with a high Numista Rarity Index, few Numista members have it. There may be several reasons, which may or may not be related to rarity.

• If you have items with a low Numista Rarity Index, particular years or varieties can still be expensive and hard to obtain, since the Numista Rarity Index doesn't differentiate year lines

Note: I only collected the 3rd type (popular LOW# NRI notes but rare varieties initially, especially from Canada).  The "bottom line" which can be concluded is that the NRI # must be taken with some degree of caution. I feel, that overall, if a note has a NRI around 50 (or higher) the note may be considered somewhat tough.  (I also seek notes with NRI of 35-50 from some African/Asian humid climates b/c I know that GEM UNC examples are scarce!) Notes with a NRI of 60 (or higher) will be quite tough. Notes rated 75 to 85 can be considered very tough to possibly rare. Notes with NRI numbers of 90 or higher are likely rare. But keep in mind that there may be many senior collectors who have NO computer or have not entered their collections on Numista. There may also be collectors who have misidentified their notes skewing the accuracy further. 

• December 20th 2025: I have posted a couple notes from Ceylon on CoinsandCanada's Overlooked World Notes! thread. Please take the link to check out the 2 examples I've posted there (a King George VI ONE Rupee from Ceylon and an early 10 Rupees pre-Independence (No QEII) example). These notes have high NRI # and are still inexpensive. Naturally, I'd favour a King George or Queen Elizabeth example but I also won't turn down an early 1965-71 example either!  Check Ceylon out, you might be surprised.  Also, keep in mind my "Overlooked" examples are just a few I have chosen. The India Ocean region has many nations that are overlooked. I am going to wrap this up as I need to get on with my day. However, you may also want to check a fun thread I have been contributing to (as Walktodewater) over at CCF.  The thread is called "How far can we go - with Banknotes?" They're always fun to contribute to & look what others have to show.

• December 13th 2025: I would like to remind you that there are many European nations which may have been overlooked. Do find what you enjoy collecting and don't take my suggestions as comprehensive or complete! Today, I will exit the European region and turn south to Asia, and the country of Iran in particular. When I was a teen, I was glued to our television set during the Iran Crises. I was very impressed that the Canadian Ambassador to Iran had a role in helping some of the American hostages escape. So it was very natural for me to be drawn to the banknotes with the overprints on the Shaw of Iran's face! Check this Spotlight 6 page to see some of the examples I have acquired or go to the CoinsandCanada's Overlooked World Notes! thread to view them. 

• December 6th 2025: Today, I would like to turn to Lithuania as an overlooked pre-Euro nation. Like its small neighbour (Latvia) it was another Baltic break-away nation from Russia.  Old currency is definitely a draw but you'll rarely see it offered.  The New Litas have 1991 dates but were not released until 1993. These are highly prized but hard to get! P-47 or the 1991 TEN LITU is two-tone (brown & variations in lighter shades) and has a NRI (Numista Rarity Index) of 68 but is the easiest to obtain! All notes were printed in two-tone patterns by the United States Banknote Co before its demise. Both the ONE HUNDRED P-50 & the ONE THOUSAND P-52 have similar green colours and would be easy to mix up! The next series, 1993-1994 can also be a challenge to source except for the lower denominations (P-54 or ONE Litas, P-55 or TWO LITAI; & the P-56 or FIVE LITAI)  which are all pretty easy and inexpensive to this day (P-56 tricky to find in UNC). Once one tries to find the P-57 TEN LITU it can be much more challenging to find an example in UNC or higher. The population must have had low currency needs since one sees 3 or 4 prefixes released for the TWENTY LITU P-56 & the FIFTY LITU P-57 denominations.  I only possess the lower denominations from 1993 series! My first higher denomination comes in the 1997 issue with the TEN LITU or P-59.  All the designs change subtly and the colours get more pronounced as the series evolve. The higher denominations (100 & a new 200 aren't released until 1997) and they remain low in numbers and naturally scarcer than most nation's releases. The notes I post on CoinsandCanada's Overlooked World Notes! thread are just a fraction of the notes I possess. Lithuania is a pretty nation to collect but there are limits to what one can upload there so I posted just three of their denominations from different series. Stay tuned while I update my  OVERLOOKED WORLD SPOTLIGHT page!

• November 29th 2025 On today's entry for Overlooked World Notes! , I to turn Latvia's Lats. I had an amazing visit in 2013, just before the nation switched to Euros. At the time, exchange rates were astronomically in favour of the Lati so it cost me about 2 GBP for 1 (or almost 40GBP for 20) so they were dear since I had to exchange my weak CAD for GBP. My friends from the UK made it a little less painful by selling me some of their old Lats from a trip they took the year before.  If I were to do it again, I would try to get the early 1992 versions of the P-43 5 Lati; the P-44 10 Lati  or the P-45 20 Lati because most of these are only offered in circulated condition.  Unfortunately, as soon as I returned home, I got on eBay and bought the first UNC 20 Lati I found for a decent price (about $50USD). Sure it was a steal (around the last exchange rate) but the common 2009 version and my only regret is that I did not at least seek some of the older 1992 versions.  At the time, I also wanted notes from Lithuania and Estonia the other 2 countries I visited. Would I go for the higher denominations? It is possible but I doubt it. I have always been a collector of a nation's workhorses (the notes that get the most circulation) & tend to skip those notes used to store value (tucked into people's safe deposit boxes). If I were serious about getting a Baltic collection of all the denominations than I think I would prefer to focus on Estonia and Lithuania first.

• November 22nd 2025 Please check out today's entry for Overlooked World Notes!  thread on C&C. Today, I want to turn to the Baltics. Estonia is a country that has gorgeous series which have been overlooked for some time. I like their last series in particular since it was a series with many updates and tougher versions. This provides the collector opportunities to pick up a variety of denominations that work well within in their budgets. The 1991 25 Krooni P-73 is definitely on my wish-list.  If I had the money (or the opportunity to pick up an UNC example for a great price), I would definitely "pull the trigger" on  the 1991 500 Krooni P-75 which has an incredible lack of security features (I would prefer a certified example). I have the 1 & 2 Krooni notes from 1992 & the 50 Krooni P-78 with was introduced in 1994. This is a very attractive note and gives one a sense of the security devices incorporated in the earlier Estonian post-soviet series. One of my favourite banknote designs is the 100 Krooni P-79 and I was lucky enough to win a 1999 P-82 100 Krooni with the foil security strip. It is a beautiful note even though it would not get a grade higher than 63 due to the awkward off-centred production.   

• November 15th 2025 I believe most of Europe is NOT overlooked but there are still a few countries that don't get the limelight like the larger nations (France, Germany & Spain). The 3rd overlooked European nation I have in mind is Finland. Many of the notes from Finland come across as somewhat repetitive (in design) with rather staid elements.  It appears as if the Finns don't change their note designs much other than adding "Litt A or Litt B." Once again, I consider this opportunity because the notes without "Litt_" and denominations as low as 50 Marka can be tough to source in UNC. Why? Because Finland is a smaller nation & has been overlooked for years. The note I bought & added to the "Overlooked C&C" thread was a 1986 10 Marka with "199" and is a replacement. Most nations have a star or "Z" to indicate replacement function but this is not the case with Finnish notes from the eighties.  You might have also noticed that Finnish notes have a multitude of varying signatures too. This is the result of the long terms each series have had. Do not let this deter you from your pursuit of this overlooked nation!  Pick up whatever Finnish notes you can before other World banknote collectors do the same & drive the price of this nation sky high (like what we're seeing with Bulgaria). 

• Check out this OVERLOOKED WORLD SPOTLIGHT page for some further observations on pre-Euro series discussed recently.

• November 8th 2025 Please check out today's entry for Overlooked World Notes!  thread on C&C. 

• Pre-Euro such as France, Germany & Spain are not overlooked but have big fan bases since France had such outstanding artistic designed notes. Germany had colossal colourful and inexpensive series from the 1920's while Spain had similar series with incredible attributes. Many pre-Euro nations have been inexpensive. But I would never call any of them overlooked! Instead, I will turn to smaller nations because they usually have smaller numbers issued & often get overlooked as the big nations razzle-dazzle us (soak up the limelight). Belgium (like their Euros with the Z prefix) can be tough to find (in UNC) but still offer amazing artistic designs.  I have seen little 5 Francs (P-121) & the 10 Francs (P-122) "Belgas" issues offered for less than one would expect.  Sure they're a bit on the ugly side but still very collectible wartime series.  A more typical, attractive series is the 20 Francs P-132, 50 Francs P-133 & 100 Francs P-134 denominations from the mid 50's to mid 1970 era.  All three denominations had massive numbers issued but don't be put off by that.  Instead, focus on getting a high grade note & an earlier issue (if possible). This is where it can get a bit tricky (getting an earlier variety may prove to be a challenge!) The higher denominations (500 Francs & up) for 1950-1997 are all expensive/challenging but just be aware that not all notes are actively sought & may be troublesome to sell (unload) in the future. Higher denominations will incur high seller's fees.

• One of my favourite series was P-140 the 100 Francs featuring the architect Hendrick Beyaert. The pre-1981 series with the signatures on ONE SIDE of the note is often confused with the P-142 (revised/common) series with signatures on both sides. In fact, I just went on eBay today and found an incorrect Italian listing for P-140 (NummismaticaWorld has incorrectly listed P-142 (signatures on both sides) as P-140 (signatures on 1 side)). Numista does NOT help matters by lumping the two series under one combined "P-140/P-142" entry. This does little to differentiate the two & will keep collectors/sellers confused. I am sure this "clear as mud" mentality will last for some time but if you do the math, you will see that the first 3-year long P-140 variety is much scarcer than the later P-142 variety.  Only 18% of Numista collectors own P-140. This note (& P-141 500 Francs with the same signature variation on P-143) is a great note to obtain in high grades. It has both been overlooked & undervalued (IMO).

• There are other "hidden gems" from Belgium including their last 1997 series which had some issues/varieties actively culled from circulation during the 2002 introduction of the Euro. Always seek UNC examples and you should be good! Check out this OVERLOOKED WORLD SPOTLIGHT page for some of the notes discussed recently.

• November 1st 2025 One of the biggest problems with collecting Scotland & Irish banknotes in higher grades is the expense.  When it comes to pre-Euro nations that are overlooked, notes continue to be fairly pricey, though some of the newly adopted nations (to the Eurozone) provide opportunity for the new collector.  I am thinking of Slovakia, Slovenia & Bulgaria.  There are many cheap UNC Yugoslavian, Slovenian & Bulgarian issues still out there. But I am jumping way ahead of myself!  Let's first turn to nations which are small, have adopted the Euro, and no longer issue their own currency. Luxembourg fits this bill perfectly, since there are still some inexpensive lower Franc notes to be found. If you can find a better quality Bradbury & Wilkinson Charlotte issue, then by all means, go for it (from the 60's or prior). I also think the early portraits of Jean (State Treasury P-53 to P-56 100 Francs & the International Bank's P-14 & P-14A 100 Franc notes) are worthy of pursuit (1970's & 80's series).  They don't have high NRI's but they are seldom for sale in UNC. For me, a big green flag is the current chase for the 1000 Franc note. This is a no-brainer (all high denominations have fewer issued) but an expensive enterprise (which I don't encourage). Buy the lower 10-100 Franc notes while you still can! They're quite affordable and still offered in UNC online.  Once again, I encourage you to check out the examples I have picked up & follow the thread I have been contributing to on Overlooked World Notes!  @ Coins&Canada. 

• October 25th 2025 As we cross the Atlantic, I cannot think of two nations more overlooked than Ireland & Scotland. Many collectors seek "Lady Lavery" Irish banknotes but do many seek the later series? Many of the 1970-80's denominations have some tough varieties that are often overlooked. And many collectors go for the One Pound notes from Scotland how many seek the higher denominations? Do collectors seek notes from the Clydesdale bank (& other Northern bank branches)?  My observations have been mixed (yes & no). Check out Friday & Saturday's new entry which features a Lady Lavery 5 Pound replacement, A Fiver from the "Book of Kells" series & a 20 Pound note from the National Commercial Bank of Scotland on my Overlooked World Notes!  thread (@ C&C). Once again, none of these notes are cheap but they do have impressive NRI # & are tough in higher conditions.  The "Book of Kells" Five Pounder (P-71) isn't particularly hard if you're willing to accept the 1989 & 1993 common versions. But these last signature/dates make up over 50% of the notes registered on Numista! Few collectors kept the higher grade 1976 & early signature varieties!  I feel that they are worth seeking out (with a minor premium). Yet many early varieties often hammer for similar prices as the common, garden varieties because they're overlooked.  And if the modern designs don't appeal to you, you can always chose a tougher variety from the Northern banks of Ireland.  I also encourage collectors to re-examine the seven banks from Northern Scotland but also keep in mind that you don't need to go back too far to get some tough mid-high denominations from the big 3 banks either. Good luck in getting these great tough series!

• October 18th 2025 There are many countries with tough series, or limited print runs, that are overlooked. Most of the Central and South American nations get tough once we go back to the 1990's and earlier. Thirty-Five years is not that long. And then the Caribbean has many nations which are worth pursuing. Haiti had a fling with Tyvek, the first venture into polymer, and many limited series. And the higher the denominations (and even mide denominations like Bahamas $5-$20) can be tough. Bermuda has had small issues and they're not overlooked and get pricey quick. Guatemala can be a fun country to collect.  It is a small nation (like Peru) and has some cool designs featuring exotic birds and ancient ruins.  Check out the various Half Quetzal designs and the Five Quetzal (P-88 from 1993). This note I picked up for around $8.00 and has a NRI of 58 (and Numista combines it with P-92).  Another small island worth looking at is the Falkland Islands, off the coast of Argentina. The 1983 $5.00 I posted on C&C today has a Numista Rarity Index (NRI) of 61. This 5 Quid had 200,000 issued but it was not uncommon for the older series to have only 10,000 to 20,000 notes issued!   Check this Spotlight for a set of notes I assembled from the Falkland Islands about 5 years ago.  

• October 11th 2025 I will be continuing on the theme of Overlooked World Notes! which I have been adding to on the CoinsandCanada (C&C) site. Today, I want to suggest not to discount your Local Coin Shops (LCS) as a source for a "good find."  I have a collector friend from the US, Kyle, who has bought several Canadian cherry picks from his LCS. Take my Collector Corner's Spotlight Page & scroll down to BARGAIN BIN FINDS where I have spotlighted Kyle's 1870 Shinplaster he paid less than $5 USD for. He later had it graded (as shown) a long with his 1937 "H/A" Narrow panel $1.00 and his 1937 $5.00 note. Now Kyle did not pay what the dealer was asking but rather stayed around the shop and talked to the dealer about other notes. He did his thing and haggled a little to get the prices he paid. And Kyle knew that these notes were worth more than what the dealer was asking (he did his homework) beforehand. My point is: every collector can be like Kyle and do their homework (find out what is a tough variety/learn how to grade). Whenever Kyle shared a note with me I found his guestimate of the grade to be very accurate. He has practiced grading as much as he can because he cares to get it right. He is a fantastic listener and posts excellent questions over on the Paper Money Forum.  Kyle also stays away from many other rabbit holes (he has limits to his budget) so he can put what he can to more valuable World currency.  Check out this monster note Kyle picked up recently for $5.00.  Although it is circulated & has a number written on it, these old Italian beauties are highly sought after in VF grades. I'm sure he can flip that note for a nice profit.  Kyle learned to become a savvy collector by networking and seeing what his LCS has to offer. He has gone through trial and error like the rest of us but he has also shown that it can really pay off!

• October 4th 2025 I have created an Overlooked World Notes!  thread over on the CoinsandCanada (C&C) site. Now, obviously, I won't be able to hit all of the tough notes (for a bargain) but I figured I should just showcase some of the more inexpensive World notes I have picked up (besides the $10.00 from Belize). All these notes have healthy (or higher) Numista Rarity Indexes (NRI).  None are rare- just tough (not always easy to source) so the prices on these may vary. With the exception of the Belize $10 note & the graded Tyvek 2 Gourdes from Haiti, all the notes are less than $35 (USD). The 50 Gourdes (P-257, with a Numista Rarity Index of 80) was truly less than $10.00 so there are many tough notes out there that can be purchased for a great, low price!  You just need to learn which are tough (& which are not) 

Scroll down to 2025 ARCHIVED ENTRIES

I have kept the months of October-December on this page due to the topic of "OVERLOOKED WORLD" notes.

Bank of Canada Duplicates

World duplicates

2025

archived entries

Take this link for observation on the Money MARKET.  Please refer to the Notaphilyc Sites page if you wish to pursue more information (like I have) or see my Acknowledgement page to see who I am indebted to for this site.  

Previous years have been archived below:

2024 Archived Entries

2022 Archived Entries

2020 Archived Entries

Above is BC-9b or P-46b featuring HM QEII as a child on this cropped image of a small sealed 1935 $20.00. This note will always remain super popular.

PARt 4: (which nations should I collect?)

This video takes Part 3 to the next level: examining what countries are popular enough to have a solid "fan base" or buyer's market.  I consider pre-Euro, Euros and Commonwealth nations  that have never cooled down in the world market.  Check out what I believe are "hot" buys and what "not" to buy:

Video 5: Grading basics, references & how to source banknotes:

My guest, David Sykes, first looks at Third Party Graded (TPG) banknotes and how they've reached their designated grades.  Then, using Charlton Guide to Canadian Government Paper Money, David continues to examine some circulated examples (VF and less).  The point is: you should start trying to assess a note's condition asap!  Don't just rely on TPG holders! Finally, I urge you to use Internet sources to familiarize yourself with examples of notes and how to acquire decent collectible banknotes.

video 6: the key to selling is buying selectively:

This video takes Video #4 to the next level, examining smaller nations, discontinued currency & how to acquire collectible lots for less. Keep your costs down and be super selective.  Buy with the intent to sell & during world market instability. Sell those desirable extras when outlooks are more "bullish."  

video 7:

This is my one year anniversary video.  Essentially, I've boiled down most of what I feel is the essential stuff you need to know in order to collect world banknotes during these unprecedented times.  I will cover other topics in my next video. 

recent pick ups: