WHY COLLECT PAPER MONEY?

As you delve into this strange, new and exciting world of paper money, you will be instantly struck by the wide variety of colors and designs of these notes.  Some are from exotic, far-away places and seldom seen by the average person outside of the area of issue.  Others, like our most well-known American dollar, generate a feeling of familiarity and value among many of the world's people. With this rich assortment, there are enough subjects to satisfy just about every collector.  Even for the average, non-collecting individual, a selection of inexpensive world notes makes a fascinating desk-top display in the home or office.

There are many different reasons why people collect banknotes.  Here are some of them:

HISTORICAL VALUE
Old notes are an interesting way to learn about history in general and specific events in particular.

ARTISTIC VALUE
The subjects, designs, scrollwork and colors of the world's paper notes are an artist's delight and what a nice display they'll make under glass on your coffee table or desk.

MONETARY VALUE AND INVESTMENT
Some notes carry their face value or have a relatively high collector value and bargains can be found, especially by knowledgeable collectors.

THEMATIC COLLECTING
You might be someone who likes birds or ships, etc. who'll collect most anything with these subjects. You might collect only military-related notes or notes of places you've been to.  Most collectors will develop some sort of rhyme or reason to their collecting habits after spending some time in the hobby. My own personal themes include the old Mexican pre-revolution bancos notes of the late 1800's and early 1900's, other old notes (mainly Latin American) printed by the American Banknote Company and the notes of Queen Elizabeth the II.

GEOGRAPHICAL INTEREST
Currency collecting provides a good opportunity to research the places where the notes come from and the people who spend them.

PACKRATTING
Currency is just something else to collect and what better thing to hoard than money?

ASSOCIATED HOBBIES
a) It's a nice adjunct to coin collecting. Notes make great complementary displays with coins, also other documents, books, etc.
b) Banknote collectors may really be stamp collectors who like big stamps!
c) Old notes are little antiques and display well with antique furniture.

COLLECT THINGS THAT LOOK VALUABLE BUT MIGHT NOT COST TOO MUCH
You might start a collection of high denomination inflation notes. There's a wide variety of these available from a number of different areas and new ones are popping up all the time.  Inflation notes are one of our dealer specialties and we stock a nice selection of affordable, neat items.

THE THRILL OF THE HUNT
Many notes, particularly older ones, are tough to find. Some are darn near impossible!

MEET NEW PEOPLE AND MAKE NEW FRIENDS
Many folks from all walks of life collect banknotes.  In the course of collecting and perhaps joining clubs, going to shows, etc., you'll probably meet other people with similar interests in collecting and possibly other areas as well.