GoldFinger1969

Was at my LCS a few months ago and a guy comes in with a bunch of medium-quality to Mint State Silver Certificates (I think they were all $1 but maybe a few were $5's or $10's). No special features or years, most probably worth $3-$20. Looked mostly like AU but some may have been in the 60's but I doubt super-high grade where the value for even commons skyrockets. My LCS guy, who's a real fair guy, says he can't use ANY of them. Says he has too many and no market. Too much supply...too little demand. You don't see that with many coin types, but I guess many people saved the $1 Silver Certificates as the opportunity cost of hoarding them wasn't that much in the 1940's and 1950's. Not like saving a $20 Double Eagle when they were being minted.

Used for settling bank-to-bank transfers and maybe also with the FRB system.

How did it work out ? Did you get good FMV's ? Were the bills insured by homeowners or do you have a special, dedicated collectibles policy ?

Don't forget trimming of bills at the edges.....they've done that with baseball cards for decades. My cousin just submitted some baseball cards for grading, aquired from when I took him and his younger brothers to card shows in the late-1980's/early-1990's. We used to put the cards in those nice, big heavy Lucites...especially our best cards (the Lucites were expensive, you didn't use them on common cards ). Now it appears that the cards get "crushed" or flattened in those Lucites and what we were told at the time was the best way to preserve the cards will probably result in them being given a Details-like classification.

"Who Mourns for Adoanis ?" with the lovely (and still alive !!) Leslie Parrish.

I used to check out some website that specialized in fancy serial numbers and I remember the prices jumped EXPONENTIALLY as you dropped to the single digits and then again as you fell below 5 and then 3 and to 1 or 2. I always wondered for those pricey bills and/or Gold/Silver Certificates (esp. large denominations)....who got the super-low numbers ? What happened to them ? Can't believe they were spent !

You know, it's funny/weird, Mike.......I thought the same thing but if you angle the light the right way, the folds/creases ARE visible. But unlike a coin where you use a light's angle to HIDE problems...here you need to use the light to SEE them !! I think I had a GTG on another site....and the range was from 58 to 65. I think grading bills/currency from pics might be harder than coins. You really need to look hard to see the "defects." No way anybody is going to think an EF-45 coin is MS-65 coin even from bad pics....but I took multiple pics (to not hide anything) and folks STILL thought the grades were 58-65ish.

I think they WOULD be interested -- IF they knew about their beauty, artistry, history. Ditto coins. The problem is that you are more likely to be exposed to videogames and useless hours spent posting on social media than being exposed to the beauty of what constitutes the words and images on our currency and bills. Ditto coins. I wish I had been exposed a long time ago, when I had more $$$ and more time.

I'm not as familiar with the net grading thing and currency/bills....for coins, the problem is that deliberately or accidentally they were wiped/cleaned years or decades ago. You don't really have to worry about that with currency, right ? I think I have read where folks may flatten or even whiten/brighten a bill (not sure how they can do that) but it's probably a more difficult, elaborate process than just dipping a coin and trying to tone it or brighten it, right ?

I'm not sure it would be as high as 45, Mike. I have this note -- which looks MUCH BETTER than the grade given -- but it's only a 45.

I have this money clip which has a bond coupon as the face of the clip...it's from one of those catalogues where they specialize in Wall Street memorabilia....it's from the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad. There were plenty of bonds issued by the railroads, lots of them preserved so they can utilize them at low cost for items like the money clip.

Mike, how did you get interested in obscure European/Yugoslavian currency ? Where did you find these -- a specialist ?

Is that Tito on the Yugoslavian bill ? I would think he would be on the currency, not a central bank person unless it was an ally or family member.

They should call this the Fentucky Mike Forums !! This isn't a recent purchase but it is the nicest note I have, probably the most valuable. Bought it pre-Covid and I remember going back-and-forth forever about whether I should pay the extra $$$ for it or get 95% of the value for 60% of the cost with another. I paid up....glad I did....probably would have blown the difference on more Super Bowl square boxes or March Madness pools. I may have posted this (and others) in past years in these forums, if so, bear with me. I disappear from this section for months at a time (years ?) and I really should check in more often, especially when the NGC Coin Forums are quiet.

I have this radar note. Bought it a few years ago when I was on a "currency kick" ....not sure it's worth much, I think I only paid like $50 or something like that.

I don't, I just got that one from somewhere. Only got the front page and maybe the end of the article. If I was more active in currency and had the $$$ I'd probably get a subscription. Might get a few at $15 a month, just to give it a shot. This story was definitely of interest and easy to read.

I posted the newsletter front page somewhere on these forums, Mike. Here it is again:

I think the buyers of these notes are younger types and that bodes well for future demand, IMO:

My lowest serial number bills:

Thanks Mike.....as I understand it, notes that look pristine and flat can look like the Rocky Mountains when you shine a light angled horizontally at the bill as opposed to face-on (vertical) hitting it flush. I saw the same bill with the light angled differently and I couldn't believe the difference. Thought it was another bill or an optical illusion. Very strange. Yes, that Hawaii note is not only a rarity (Hawaii) but low-SN....and Superb Gem quality. My top bill untill or unless I get a Large Denomination Bill. Sorry I put this in the wrong section, BTW.

There was a story in the Currency CDN newsletter like a year ago that talked about the big bump up in lower and medium-graded Large Denomination Bills that newcomers and others with Covid checks had been chasing.

Mod...can you move this to the U.S. Note Section ? I accidentally put it in Newbie Questions.

What specific U.S. notes are you seeing the 2-4 fold boost in prices ? What specific bills...and what price range ?

Also, try and re-format your pics so they lay horizontal.

This Gold Certificate is only a PMG 45, but it looks so much better in hand. Others via pics have thought it was mid-60's (in-hand, they might see it more accurately, I admit) ! Admittedly, you can't see any wrinkles/folds or other imperfections via angled light from pics, more deceptive than with coins IMO. But it is a note that looks much higher at first glance.