06/28/25 The above observations were entries made with the intent to illustrate the type of lesson learned (after submitting banknotes for grading). At this point, I have only posted 3 of the 5 notes I submitted to BCS for certification. I still require images of the 2 remaining FIVES I submitted & may (or may not) further add these.  I firmly believe that by publicizing one's experiences with submitting note(s) to a TPG, that this will help others who may be contemplating to doing the same.  My overall advice is to consider the VALUE of the note & whether the certification (or SLAB) will indeed make the note more liquid (rather than had it not been certified). I also certify in order to preserve a note intended for my personal collection. I have submitted two bulk submissions (of my personal collection) plus smaller submissions (like above) in the past.  One thing that struck me as odd with my results was the high percentage of LOW UNC assessments: such as UNC 60, 62 & 63 grades. When I review the majority of these, I think PMG UNC 62, 64 & 65 (in comparison).

NOTE: Exceptional Paper Quality or EPQ is the designation PMG uses to designate an "original," unprocessed note (a note without issues). If the note does not receive EPQ that does NOT necessarily mean the note was processed (treated, washed, smoothed). It may also mean the note was lightly pressed, or had a minor stain, pinhole, bit of ink or glue residue detected. The bottom line is that the note has lost its "original condition" in any case.  PCGS uses PPQ (Perfect Paper Quality) & BCS uses the term "Original."

Check out this link to Banknote Certification Services grading standards. Clearly, BCS tries to err on the side of a conservative grade* (rather than be liberal) however, this may have eased somewhat since BCS was started.

*NOTE: the highest level of "Super GEM UNC" for BCS is Perfect UNC 68 (not 70 & there are no stars are awarded).  Also in the same conservative vein, BCS does not grant "Original" to  notes which score below VF 30.

10/29/22 The following observations match the dates I entered my notes/observations on this page. The entries may either provide an image of the note in the new holder or just my original scan with the assigned grade (as seen below with my 2 Australian submissions). I have added minor commentaries re: what I had expected (in grade) or what I had not expected or some type of lesson learned. 

NOTE: Exceptional Paper Quality or EPQ is the designation PMG uses to designate an "original," unprocessed note (a note without issues). If the note does not receive EPQ that does NOT necessarily mean the note was processed (treated, washed, smoothed). It may also mean the note was lightly pressed, or had a minor stain, pinhole, bit of ink or glue residue detected. The bottom line is that the note has lost its "original condition" in any case.  PCGS uses PPQ (Perfect Paper Quality) & BCS uses the term "Original."

11/05/22 I have added 4 more notes from Canada, Cook Islands, Columbia & the East Caribbean Authority.  Only the first three are tough and the replacement from the Bank of Canada is scarce.  I have had it for a while & forgot to submit it with my last bunch from BCS (here in Canada).  What happened was I took out my notes from Iran & substituted them with these 4 notes (they fell into my submission list perfectly).  

11/20/22 I added the Euros (which I picked up from many sources) last week. These had me a little worried as they cost me a "dearly" considering how new (& drab) the designs are. But on my 2003 trip to Europe, one year after their release, all I could find were the new Trichet signatures in crisp UNC condition. I found a few "Duisenberg" signed notes but they were dirty rags. Once home, I looked up his signature on Wiki & discovered he had died suddenly (& his signature disappeared from newly issued notes).  From 2004 onward, I was on the hunt for "Duisenberg" Euros but seldom found any offered on eBay.   I believe it was between 2008 & 2010 that I finally saw a few of these first signatures pop up for sale (& they were pricey).  This past Saturday (11/19), I added the 20 Euros from Portugal & the Falklands & Fiji note (the last being quite a disappointment- but no surprise). 

11/26/22 When I saw a Bermudan $20 onion prefix Gem listed for $49 on Banknote World, I decided it was time to "get off the pot" & "pull the trigger," as some US collectors say regarding making a purchase.  I also saw two notes from Fiji listed for a very reasonable price.  I contacted Banknote World about combining shipping.  They agreed to combine but sent me an invoice for $35 shipping (more than what was agreed on!)  If that was all, it would have been an amazing deal.  However, my Banknote World package was flagged by Customs, so I had to dish out an extra $35.00 duty to pay in order for the note to cross the US-Canada border.  I'm writing this for Canadians (or others not living in the US) who may think of buying a Banknote World item.  

12/10/22 When I first saw the banknote designs from France I was hooked but had already made large purchases.  Many times a collector must "draw a line in the sand" & state "enough is enough: no more notes!"  So it took me a few years before I finally bought P-154f (100 Francs) & P-157a (50 Francs) from "Yuri" on eBay.  After I purchased both notes I saw others go for cheaper than Yuri's BIN prices but now that I have the notes back from PMG I feel like it worked in my favour. Both received EPQ & the 50 Francs (P-157a) graded GEM 67! It took me much longer to find a P-160d (500 Francs). I'm not a large denomination collector but I admired this note featuring Marie Currie. I was thrilled to get this note from a Canadian seller for a reasonable price & the "Super Gem" designation was definitely "icing on the cake."  

P-34, One Pound from Isle of Man was a bargain priced note so I should not be surprised it was pressed & did not receive the EPQ.  It, along with some pressed solids from the Philippines, had evidence of minor handling & were priced like problem notes.  These notes are the primary reason I wanted to start this PMG Results page.  The other reason was seeing the chatter from collectors re: the pricing.  Certifying notes is expensive, I won't deny it, but I believe that bulk submissions are the only way to go.  You definitely do not want to grade just any note.  My P-106a (Italian 10,000 Lira) was a last minute addition as I had re-arranged my PMG submission list 2 times. I was in a hurry to get them submitted (even though the bulk batch had been sitting around waiting to go out for a couple months). This was another mistake! There were better (more valuable) notes I wanted graded but my dubious reply from PMG (re: certifying Iranian notes) made me change my submission list one final time. I suggest that you take your sweet time compiling a list of notes you wish to submit (don't hurry!) Be sure you believe the notes will get EPQ (unless quite rare). 

12/17/22 I bought an expensive Falkland Islands 5 Pound note from an eBay seller from Israel.  He had the Maltese One pound note (P-24) priced reasonably (for a low number) so I added it to the order.  Unfortunately, it did not receive the EPQ and was clearly pressed. I blame myself for wishful thinking (I should have known that the embossing was pressed & the note looked dull. Another lesson learned! The two notes from New Zealand, part of a large Allen's order, faired much better (both EPQ) & the Latvian 20 Litu received a GEM 67 EPQ.

12/31/22 After a trip to the Philippines, I bought several solid radars, replacements & one error from a seller based in Manilla.  Each package was sub-standard in terms of the way the notes were packaged/protected (some had hard cardboard inserts, others did not). But most alarming was the fact that I could see some notes were AU at best.  Since a few (like the ones I posted) were rather tough (such as the red serial number) I submitted them in the hopes they'd get an EPQ.  This was a hasty & poor decision. Fortunately, the rest of my notes, from a Singapore seller all passed the EPQ test & scored high grades. This is one of the lessons I wanted to convey on this PMG Results page: buy a little better and you will get better results.

01/07/23 During my 2018 trip to the Philippines, I saw a few Duterte-Tetangco signatures but mostly the early Aquino-Tetangco signature combinations on circulating currency.  When I started to purchase pairs (or a set in the case of the 20 Pesos) of solid radars, I wanted  Duterte Tetangco or the new Duterte-Espenillo combination.  I thought the 3rd signature was going to be the tough one when it turned out that the Duterte Tetangco was just as tough (or tougher) on some denominations.  However, at the end of the day, I'm sure most collectors simply care about a high grade GEM rather than the signature. 

-LAST Revised June 25th 2025

10/29/22 The following observations match the dates I entered my notes/observations on this page. The entries may either provide an image of the note in the new holder or just my original scan with the assigned grade (as seen below with my 2 Australian submissions). I have added minor commentaries re: what I had expected (in grade) or what I had not expected or some type of lesson learned. 

NOTE: Exceptional Paper Quality or EPQ is the designation PMG uses to designate an "original," unprocessed note (a note without issues). If the note does not receive EPQ that does NOT necessarily mean the note was processed (treated, washed, smoothed). It may also mean the note was lightly pressed, or had a minor stain, pinhole, bit of ink or glue residue detected. The bottom line is that the note has lost its "original condition" in any case.  PCGS uses PPQ (Perfect Paper Quality) & BCS uses the term "Original."

11/05/22 I have added 4 more notes from Canada, Cook Islands, Columbia & the East Caribbean Authority.  Only the first three are tough and the replacement from the Bank of Canada is scarce.  I have had it for a while & forgot to submit it with my last bunch from BCS (here in Canada).  What happened was I took out my notes from Iran & substituted them with these 4 notes (they fell into my submission list perfectly).  

11/20/22 I added the Euros (which I picked up from many sources) last week. These had me a little worried as they cost me a "small fortune" considering how new (& drab) the designs are. But on my 2003 trip to Europe, one year after their release, all I could find were the new Trichet signatures in crisp condition. I found a few "Duisenberg" signed notes but they were dirty rags. Once home, I looked up his signature on Wiki & discovered he had died suddenly (& his signature disappeared from newly issued notes).  From 2004 onward, I was on the hunt for "Duisenberg" Euros but seldom found any offered on eBay.   I believe it was between 2008 & 2010 that I finally saw a few of these first signatures pop up for sale (& they were pricey).  This past Saturday (11/19), I added the 20 Euros from Portugal & the Falklands & Fiji note (the last being quite a disappointment- but no surprise). 

11/26/22 When I saw a Bermudan $20 onion prefix Gem listed for $49 on Banknote World, I decided it was time to "get off the pot" & "pull the trigger," as some US collectors say regarding making a purchase.  I also saw two notes from Fiji listed for a very reasonable price.  I contacted Banknote World about combining shipping.  They agreed to combine but sent me an invoice for $35 shipping (more than what was agreed on!)  If that was all, it would have been an amazing deal.  However, my Banknote World package was flagged by Customs, so I had to dish out an extra $35.00 duty to pay in order for the note to cross the US-Canada border.  I'm writing this for Canadians (or others not living in the US) who may think of buying a Banknote World item.  

12/10/22 When I first saw the banknote designs from France I was hooked but had already made large purchases.  Many times a collector must "draw a line in the sand" & state "enough is enough: no more notes!"  So it took me a few years before I finally bought P-154f (100 Francs) & P-157a (50 Francs) from "Yuri" on eBay.  After I purchased both notes I saw others go for cheaper than Yuri's BIN prices but now that I have the notes back from PMG I feel like it worked in my favour. Both received EPQ & the 50 Francs (P-157a) graded GEM 67! It took me much longer to find a P-160d (500 Francs). I'm not a large denomination collector but I admired this note featuring Marie Currie. I was thrilled to get this note from a Canadian seller for a reasonable price & the "Super Gem" designation was definitely "icing on the cake."  

P-34, One Pound from Isle of Man was a bargain priced note so I should not be surprised it was pressed & did not receive the EPQ.  It, along with some pressed solids from the Philippines, had evidence of minor handling & were priced like problem notes.  These notes are the primary reason I wanted to start this PMG Results page.  The other reason was seeing the chatter from collectors re: the pricing.  Certifying notes is expensive, I won't deny it, but I believe that bulk submissions are the only way to go.  You defnitely do not want to grade just any note.  My P-106a (Italian 10,000 Lira) was a last minute addition as I had re-arranged my PMG submission list 2 times. I was in a hurry to get them submitted (even though the bulk batch had been sitting around waiting to go out for a couple months). This was another mistake! There were better (more valuable) notes I wanted graded but my dubious reply from PMG (re: certifying Iranian notes) made me change my submission list one final time. I suggest that you take your sweet time compiling a list of notes you wish to submit (don't hurry!) Be sure you believe the notes will get EPQ (unless quite rare). 

12/17/22 I bought an expensive Falkland Islands 5 Pound note from an eBay seller from Israel.  He had the Maltese One pound note (P-24) priced reasonably (for a low number) so I added it to the order.  Unfortunately, it did not receive the EPQ and was clearly pressed. I blame myself for wishful thinking (I should have known that the embossing was pressed & the note looked dull. Another lesson learned! The two notes from New Zealand, part of a large Allen's order, faired much better (both EPQ) & the Latvian 20 Litu received a GEM 67 EPQ.

12/31/22 After a trip to the Philippines, I bought several solid radars, replacements & one error from a seller based in Manilla.  Each package was sub-standard in terms of the way the notes were packaged/protected (some had hard cardboard inserts, others did not). But most alarming was the fact that I could see some notes were AU at best.  Since a few (like the ones I posted) were rather tough (such as the red serial number) I submitted them in the hopes they'd get an EPQ.  This was a hasty & poor decision. Fortunately, the rest of my notes, from a Singapore seller all passed the EPQ test & scored high grades. This is one of the lessons I wanted to convey on this PMG Results page: buy a little better and you will get better results.

01/07/23 During my 2018 trip to the Philippines, I saw a few Duterte-Tetangco signatures but mostly the early Aquino-Tetangco signature combinations on circulating currency.  When I started to purchase pairs (or a set in the case of the 20 Pesos) of solid radars, I wanted  Duterte Tetangco or the new Duterte-Espenillo combination.  I thought the 3rd signature was going to be the tough one when it turned out that the Duterte Tetangco was just as tough (or tougher) on some denominations.  However, at the end of the day, I'm sure most collectors simply care about a high grade GEM rather than the signature.