Collecting World currency has become a recent pastime for me. Originally, I was focussed only on Bank of Canada issues & developed an eye only for replacements, change-overs & special numbers. On my travels, I picked up a few notes but they were often too circulated for my collection. On a 2004 trip to Europe, I decided that I was going to acquire some Euros with the Wim Duisenberg signature, since I rarely came across them. 

Learning about each nation's series, their designs/motifs, historical landmarks & other bits of info has become a wonderful/yet intriguing challenge for me. I realized early on that it was going to be a lifelong adventure.  I hope you will find it equally as appealing/satisfying.  

Although I have been collecting paper for more than 4 decades, I still get off on tangents (we all can get distracted).  But in the past year, I have been seeking intriguing motifs with a number of different themes. I focussed on Euros due to the bridge motif & Duisenberg's short signature. Israelly notes appealed to me due to the genius of Einstein/discovery (featured on the 5 Lirot) & I realized I sometimes got hooked on one particular motif or another. The Bahamas $10 appealed to me because of the birds motif (flamingos on the reverse) & because it is a small Commonwealth island nation.   I also got hooked on notes with horse motifs (Mexico & Italy 50,000 Pesos/Liras). 

I encourage each and everyone of you to look at your collection and develop 1 or 2 specific goals or a motif/theme for your sets. Ask yourself, which denominations, what condition, signatures do I require? 

If this is really impossible than ask yourself: am I just buying notes that are cheap? Am I buying because I have extra money to burn? 

OR can I get more selective?  Should I focus on errors, replacements or special serial numbers? Am I interested in specific series(s), a specific substrate, security feature, region or motif/theme?  [This is not collecting by motif but using other selective parameters]. I still seek Low or Special Serial Numbered notes and most recently I've tried to stick to early (pre-security strip) or short-lived variants.  

Keep in mind that each person's collection should NOT just centre around buying/acquiring (a +1 or +2 notes/month approach).  A person who restores cars doesn't just keep buying cars.  He/she goes to shows & finds other ways to enjoy his/her hobby.  And the longer one stays with the hobby the more selective one becomes. Organize your notes, store them correctly (good albums so they show nicely), network with other collectors & research the history behind each series.   The idea is to make the journey fun and to participate in both the real world & online communities. 

(Last updated: Oct 5th 2023)

• Australia (& The Commonwealth of Australia P-37/42 $1 & P-50/51/57/62 & P-NL Hong Kong Commemorative $5) $$

• The Bahamas (P-13 to P-76 $1 - $20 & "P-New") $$

• Belize (P-33 to P-72 see also British Honduras below) $

• Bermuda (P-18 to P-56) $$$

• British Caribbean Territories (P-7 to P-12: Includes Barbados)* $$$

• British Honduras (Now Belize: P-28 to P-32 $1 - $20)* $$$

• Canada (P-66 to P-86 $1 - $100 & then P-94 $2; P-89/93/97/103/108/111 $20 & P-100 $1000 Note P-111 is a 2015 Commemorative $20 ) $$

• Cayman Islands (P1-P-43 & P-New: $1 to $100. The Cayman Islands had a $40 & continue to print a $25 note) $

• Ceylon (P-49 to P-55: 1 to 100 Rupees)* $$$

• Cyprus (P-33 to P-36: 250 Mils to 5 Pounds)* $$$

• East Africa (P-33 to P-44 5 - 100 Shillings)* $$$

• East Caribbean States  (P-13 to P-55: $1 to $100 plus P-New 2019-2020 Vertical Series) PA portrait**

• Falkland Islands (P-7 to P-19: 10 Shillings to 50 Pounds) $

• Fiji (P-51 to P-57: 5 Shillings to 20 Pounds & P-58 to P-114 $0.50 to $100) PA portrait** $$

• Gibraltar (P-20 to P-40: 1 Pound to 100 Pounds) $

• Great Britain (P-373 to P-395 & P-New: 10 Shillings to 50 Pounds) $ - $$

• Guernsey (P-56 to P-61 & P-New: 5 Pounds to 50 Pounds) $

• Hong Kong (P-324A to P-327: $1 to 1 Cent) $

• Isle of Man (P-24 to P-49 & P-New: 10 Shillings to 20 Pounds) $$$

• Jamaica (Treasury 5 Pound P-48 & Government of Jamaica P-49 to P-52: 5 Shilling to 5 Pounds)* $$$

• Jersey (P-7 to P-37:  10 Shillings to 100 Pounds). PA portrait** $-$$

• Malaya & British Borneo (P-1 to P-7: $1 to $10,000)* $$$

• Malta (P-23 to P-30: 1949 - 1967 10 Shillings to 5 Pounds) PA portrait** $$$

• Mauritius (P-27-P-33: 5-100 Rupees) PA portrait** for 1967 Bank of later version. $

• New Zealand (P-163 to P-176, P-179, P-183/1187/193: $1 to $100 & $20 in later years) $$

• Rhodesia (P-24 to P-29: 10 Shillings to 5 Pounds) PA portrait** $$$

• Rhodesia & Nyasaland (P-20 to P-23 10 Shillings to 10 Pounds)* $$$

• Saint Helena (P-5 to P-13:  50 Pence to 20 Pounds) $

• Scotland (RBS: P-362 & P-368 5 & 10 Pound commemorative notes REVERSE) $$

• Seychelles (P-14 to P-18: 5 to 100 Rupees)* PA portrait** $$$

• Solomon Islands (P-5 to P-12: $2 to $20) $

• Southern Rhodesia (P-12 to P-18)* $$$ 

• Trinidad & Tobago (P-26 tp P-29: $1 to $20)* PA portrait** $$ & $$$

Art MOTIFS:

• Belgium P-134  Lambert Lombard painter &  P-140/142 Hendrik Beyaert architecture) $

• Brazil (P-212 500 Cruzados P-214/217 5,000 Cruzados/P-219/221/225/P-232 Music/P-234 Dance) $

• France (P-133/137/141 500/5 Francs Victor Hugo- writer; P-150 to P-154 10-100 Francs) $$

• Germany (P-37 to P-41/46 5 D Mark Bettina Van Armin to 100 D Marks Clara Schumann) $

• Italy (P-96 1000 Lire Guiseppe Verdi -opera/P-97 10,000 Lire Michelangelo P-99 50,000 Lire -Leonard Da Vinci) $$

• Sweden (P-62/64 50 Kronor Jenny Lind-opera/P-71/73 Greta Garbo/MB Nilsson) $$

UNESCO World Heritage sites:

Above is a link to a thread posted on the Paper Money Forum.  I have listed it separately because if you try to build a collection of notes which portrays different UNESCO world heritage sites, this will be a rich & rewarding collection filled with fascinating history.

world Notes available