When I first started collecting Ukrainian banknotes, three or four years ago, the first purchase I made was the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money (Modern). hereafter Krause. This book gave me the general information I was looking for, what did some of the notes look like, how many different notes are there, etc.. This basic info gave me an idea of #1 did I like the notes (are they interesting and attractive to me), #2 how much was this going to cost (how many different issues and how rare), #3 how long will it take and will I be able to obtain most of the notes (availability). I then used the information in Krause and cross referenced to online sources like eBay and a few different auction sites to verify availability and cost. Once I had answered these questions to my satisfaction I went out and made my first Ukrainian banknote purchase and then my second, third and so on. Once I was about three months in I thought "I still need more information" on these notes especially the pre 91' issues, so I went out and found a few more references to add to my collection (Make no mistake about it, a book about banknotes that you collect IS part of your collection.). As I collect these notes the process continues, get a few notes, get a new reference. I have absolutely spent more time reading (and writing) about these notes than I have spent looking at them, at least 10 to 1 probably way more than that. Which makes me wonder what I enjoy more studying/reading about these notes or actually owning them (A Journal for another time perhaps?). At any rate, the trigger for this entry was that I bought another reference this morning (and I'm still kind of annoyed about the "mushroom" watermark thing), the 2010 NBU Banknotes and Coins of Ukraine for the year 2010. Hopefully this entry will give any new collectors an idea of what they could be getting into and if there are any current or new Ukrainian collectors out there, I consider all of these "must haves" for your collection. PMG if you don't have any of these you may want to add them to your library, just saying.
Krause: Good for general information, a good first purchase.
Wonderful book, in English. Includes Ukraine along with several Eastern Bloc countries. Full color pictures.
A great "pocket book" it's small (8"x6"x1/2") so it's easy to carry around. Cyrillic with English captions. Full color pictures.
The most thorough book on Ukrainian banknotes there is, lists every known banknote printed including issues specific to banks and territories including during periods of occupation. All text is in Cyrillic but if you can learn a few key words (or use google translate or similar software) you'll be all set. Full color pictures.
The NBU issued catalogs of all coins and banknotes produced in a said year (they stopped in 2013 I think). These are great with descriptions and numbers direct from the NBU. Cyrillic and English, full color.
This is a downloadable .pdf, it covers the modern issues. Not a bad issue, if you wanted to skip Krause and go with this you'd be alright (has Pick #'s for reference). Full color.
Downloadable .pdf's from the NBU. The NBU issued a new catalog in 2019, (for the first time is several years) FREE, and downloadable in English. Full Color.
Finally the NBU website is an invaluable source of information for modern notes, including detailed security descriptions, the website has Ukrainian and English versions. I probably have a few more but I'd have to look for them. I tend to have these books scattered about, as I reference them so much.
Here's another, Banknotes and Coins of Ukraine, Cyrillic so bring your translator.
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