Sheik Sheck

Congratulations on your big win! All that hard work on Zimbabwe paid off. You are definitely the hyper inflation dude. I am really glad they honored you as us forum dwellers know how much blood, sweat and tears you put into the hobby. One hundred trillion salutes to you. Well done!

Every time my wife brings me a USPS envelope she rolls her eyes. The unspoken shame. But they love us so they put up with our paper sins. Congratulations on your press regarding your Venezuelan collection!

I finally completed a type set of BB's.

REVENANT!!! In case you didn't see this article. https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/hyperinflation-france-zimbabwe

I love your lowball set. Here is my Caldwell low ball. However it's about 20 miles from my abode, Caldwell, Texas. Looks like they used the same plate for your Caldwell, NJ note!

ddr70, I think what Revenant is trying to say is...We Rule NBN's!!

Nice read! PMG has been slow! 49 notes? I'd be catatonic waiting that long for so many children to return home. I finally got this 252 back from the same vintage as your Aug. submission. I love the serial number. Also, I added a St. Louie FRBN to my collection for Ebay price of $59! Love that SN score.

Delayed gratification is a bi^ch but I do try my best. Your dilemma describes the pain of collecting to all of us very well. But, every time I have delayed that gratification and saved the shillings for that one beauty, I never, ever have buyer's remorse. I look back 3 years later and say, I loved that note for a reason, and I am so glad I waited and pounced. That's my 2 shillings!

Being number 1 with 160 points is an achievement, no doubt about it. Don't worry about the wife, mine quit speaking to me years ago. She just grunts and snorts when she hands over the cardboard envelope that we both know what the contents are (once she has doused it in disinfectant). Funny how she checks the serial numbers of all her notes and gets excited when she spots a star note. She wasn't too thrilled when I created a note from her home state.

Naw you're just a spring chicken compared to some of us old farts in this sport. Great note! Although I hope they aren't putting that 15 year symbol on all holders. Did you request that? How did you get the #20 list of most graded notes? Also, I think you should plan a trip to Zimbabwe one day. I think you might receive a red carpet welcome.

The wife and I drove in downtown Bryan, TX. Here is a photo of the FNB bank building.

My coin collection has gone stagnant. I bought a couple of coins three or four years ago but none since. Now I find coins terribly boring. I look at every note I get in my change hoping for a great serial number find. I have picked a few interesting numbers but nothing worth much. I picked a few star notes during the pandemic but the condition is so poor they are worth face value. I squirrel them away anyway. That collecting bug is strong! I thought the scales on the labels of the new PMG holders is strange as well! Like they felt compelled to add something to distinguish the previous labels. Here is a note I love. T&P reports hundreds of these notes. I see them quite often but at $90 I couldn't pass up. And then it comes back a GEM. Makes it all worth it.

Here's another Texas note that came back EPQ unexpectedly. Love the sigs...

Hey!!! When did you sneak that Texas collection under my nose! I was just in Bryan, TX about 30 minutes ago. It's the city connected to College Station where we live. You are the radar master. You were obviously a math nerd in school. with your eye on those numbers. How many radar notes grace your sets?

It is incredible the hundreds of listings that are incredibly overpriced and sit for years with no buyers. Obviously these are not businesses but hobbyist that think "if they are willing to pay out the nose, I'll part ways with these notes" There are a few serious sellers but us folks in the know know that auction is the only place to get most notes that aren't over the top retail. I did pick up a GC for my set off a true auction on Ebay not too long ago and the gavel was right in line for what I expected. Most NBN's i look at on Ebay are far above the gray sheet retail. The $10 Port Arthur value back in this thread was also picked off Ebay. I offered the seller 40% less than the price, that was my final so I was going to decline any counters and I was shocked but he accepted! So if you are doggedly patient sometimes Ebay can work.

She's all yours. It has been languishing for quite some time here. Check the price and you might see why. I'd love to have the mate for my $10 but I can't seem to pull the trigger here. https://www.ebay.com/itm/20-1882-Value-Back-First-National-Bank-Port-Arthur-Texas-CH-5485-UNIQUE-TYPE/182582292528?hash=item2a82c0b030:g:XrMAAOSwK6RZHlNi I have had my eye out for my bday charter date. I found one that is one day before my bday:

This note was recently returned from grading. I am growing fond of the new holders. They seem to have solved the problem of crooked notes and bulging ridges between the note and label compartments. Track and Price lists only 13 large notes and one Value Back. The VB listed is a $20 so this is new to then census. When I received the note from the seller, I could smell the strong tint of tobacco! If only this note could speak. I am sure the yellow color is a result of cohabiting with a smoker for a long time. However, in the holder, no one will ever know!!

They are gorgeous notes. I have been a couple of times to Venezuela. Once on the election night of Chavez in 1998 and again a few years ago. The country is falling to pieces and the people have been desperate for some time now. Such a beautiful and rich country falling into the throes of hyperinflation is a crime. You are point on in collecting these as it's a great set at a great price! I'd go with the wife's suggestion. She is always right.

Ooops! I forgot typing "Jack A $ S" note causes the system to automatically spit out "person_too_unaware_of_social_graces"...

I bought several gold coins and bullion oz when gold was hovering around 1300-1400. I stopped when gold began to rise. With Covid, who knows which way gold will go but it is forming a long term double top which concerns me. If it breaks out above 1800 then I might reconsider but I tend to think we will correct back down to the 1500 level at which point I might pick up more. In the mean time, I believe in a longer term bull market for bank notes. With the lowering demand and perhaps ultimate usage of physical money, I believe that bank notes will continue to be the subject of collectors and investors. I know you are interested in world notes and I invest/collect almost exclusively US notes but I want to continue to communicate how I do it. First, Track and Price is necessary. It costs but I know it has saved me countless dollars by not overpaying. I then plot the price history for a particular note at a specific grade for all data in the data base. I see the same trend over and over. An incline in prices prior to the 2008-9 recession. A decline in price until about 2014 followed by price stabilization. The noise can be attributed to problem notes on the low end and low serial number, EPQ/PPQ or star notes on the high end. I choose a bottom of the stable trend and try to pick out my target notes on the low end of the stabilized trend. The first plot is the very common FR-1200 at a grade of 40 to demonstrate the long term trend. An example is an Fr-107 "person_too_unaware_of_social_graces" I picked out for my "Greatest Notes" set. I believe the long term price has stabilized although you might believe the price has further to fall. The red data point is the price I picked that note up. I may be full of it but at least there is some method to the madness. BTW Revenant is your man on Zimbabwe notes!

Thanks! Very useful link. I have wanted to learn more about Colonials and here it is.

Indeed, there are quite the population from T&P. Ch #1352 reports 15 $10 RS with a total population of 169 notes. There were no small notes printed for this bank. There are 12 $5 RS and no reported $20 RS. The highest SN for the $10 RS is 37750. Two of the $5 RS are SN 1 at pp B and D. It is quite frustrating that T&P doesn't report the treasury SN as it seems it would be as easy as the plate # which is reported. Go figure. I'm not sure about your logic on how to recognize that this bank was the first to order 4X$10's? Definitely check in on LK as sometimes notes are comparatively cheap. I don't know why. I picked up a couple of AU common small notes from Denver 7408 and Easthampton 428 for $175 and $90.

PMG should definitely be more creative with more National sets. I think they would do the hobby a big favor to add more resources to PMG and think more out of the box regarding new sets. I would think they could build a state NBN set, city sets, regional, interesting name sets, all kinds that would attract all the NBN collectors. DDR70 has some great ideas in his signature sets. For instance the FR# set. I find I have to create another DUPLICATE set to continue to add the plethora of notes, for instance like the Type 1 $10 NBN that I seem to purchase in copious quantity. So many duplicate sets are boring! I guess us note collectors are the ugly little sister of the numismatic world. NGC has 15,647 registered coin sets whereas PMG has only 986 registered note sets, so perhaps there is no motivation. But there is such a rabid fan base of NBN collectors it sure seems like PMG would be more cognizant of the homely sister and her NBN's. Hey PMG!!! More NBN sets!!

Fantastic set. My compliments to the chef.

The bp on the Hanover note is 9 if that helps. Is there any documentation anywhere re: the uncrossed t's on the Marietta notes? Or did you pick that out? Good point re: PMG. That's my luck as well, to grade 10,000 $1 notes I have one or two graded $1 FRN's, I got one because it's the only 68 in my collection. Frankly, I don't see the point of amassing every recent Fr. FRN especially of the $1 ilk. I see some of the collections here and the sheer bulk scares me! They must have kilos and pounds of graded notes. I guess it must be fun for some, just not my cup of tea although I do like Mnuchin's signature. Quite unusual compared to most Treasury Secs. I try to avoid looking at the Bebee collection. Where one note is more valuable than my entire collection and there are hundreds more. It is quite phenomenal. I would guess there is easily 100 million dollars if they ever went to market. On another note, I thought there would be some bargains at auction after the pandemic correction but not really. I saw a few at the recent LK auction but I forgot to bid. Probably why there was so many bargains! People just forgot in between all the Zoom conferencing