Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2019 i Banknote Reporter

When collectors look at their notes, they rarely wonder about the odds against the likelihood that their notes survived! They have ‘em, so that is that. Everyone has a general sense that the older the note, the rarer it is, mainly because they had to pay more for it. It is also obvious that notes from the banks with small circulations are scarcer than those from the big city banks. When John Hickman and I discussed survivability back in the 1970s and 1980s, he stated flat out that if the note was issued before 1924, it constituted a miracle of survival. The fact is that once a note went out the door of a bank into circulation, that was its death knell. It was going to become worn and abused…

I hope you all are enjoying your summer so far. We in the East Coast have avoided virtually all of the crazy weather conditions that have plagued much of the Midwest and South. This month a new purchase and some interesting photos gave me impetus for my current article. Since by this time you all know how much I like an abandoned bank and small towns in general, I hope you enjoy our sojourn in Tower City, North Dakota, and Conrad, Iowa. North Dakota had its heyday during the National Currency era, with thriving small agricultural and railroad towns, each having its own national bank (and in some cases, more than one.) But changes in technology, brutal weather, and reduced dependence on small farms and railroads turned many of these…

Why a second one of these? I’ll tell you why- it’s because of a surprise anti counterfeiting design from old England that I accidentally discovered in my own possession some years after purchasing the one side that I had seen of this particular print. In working with the various security pieces and figuring out which to show here, I came across a couple of these fancy old renditions in another album and decided to integrate them with the later issues. Upon taking them out of their original holders, I examined them casually before putting them in position, and there was this other side that I had never realized was there until that moment. And it’s a truly remarkable piece to boot, as I believe you will agree. Made circa 1826…

Lyn Knight’s June 13 IPMS auction took off with more than an average hiss and a roar. As with all top world paper money auctions in recent months large sums of money are being paid for high grade rarities of most, although not all, countries. Among the 773 lots on offer two tied for the top price-realized of $38,400. First up was an extraordinary East African Currency Board 10 florins (1 pound) dated 1 May 1920 (P-10). Unpriced in any condition in The Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, this rarity came graded “PMG Ch. UNC 64 good color.” As Joel Shafer commented in the auction catalog, “When I first saw this note, I had to remind myself to keep breathing.” He then added, “A masterpiece for the best collections.”…

With the ANA World’s Fair of Money this month, consignments are pouring in and collectors are getting their wallets ready. Stack’s Bowers is no exception to this. For the World Paper Money session, they have dug into their treasure trove and pulled out some of the best. First item up for grabs is an intricately designed 10,000 rupees from the Reserve Bank of India. This item is graded Specimen PMG About Unc 55. It is described as having “just a hint of circulation, but maintaining all pertinent detail with exquisite centering.” Also, “issued notes of this type are very scarce since being demonetized as the majority were returned to banks, and their value was simply too high for the time to not be redeemed by most. This specimen variety, being…

I’ve had reason to look into the smallest Series of 1929 issuances from Iowa lately and found that the four smallest were Montezuma (charter 2961) at 125 notes total, Keokuk (14309) at 135, Malvern (8057) at 228 and Macksburg (6852) at 336. I then checked the National Currency Foundation census to see if any survived. I hit goose eggs as I worked through this short list—not a big surprise—until I got to Macksburg. Then I found exactly one entry, the note illustrated here. Just what is the probability that the lone survivor from the 56 sheets of $10s issued by the bank would be an evenly circulated A000001A note? This was no banker-saved souvenir. It somehow was plucked from circulation and saved quite some time after it left the bank!…

A couple months ago I was able to attend the annual summer paper money convention now held at Kansas City for the third year. This is a continuation of the 40 successive years that this gathering of paper money enthusiasts has taken place, but at its original location of Memphis, Tenn. I know that I will be a part of such conventions as long as I am able to travel, because there is nothing that can substitute for actually being there and participating in all that goes on. You see friends you’ve known for years, you meet new ones, you go to various club meetings and specialty talks, you go table-hopping and often come across items you are so surprised and pleased to locate- all this is the very essence…

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) announced a new 2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Currency Set to commemorate the moon landing. The set features a Series 2013 $50 note with a serial number beginning with “1969” and an engraved representation of the famous “Buzz Aldrin on the Moon” photograph taken July 20, 1969. The reflection in Aldrin’s visor—which includes Neil Armstrong, the United States flag, and the lunar lander—is embossed. The note is protected by a clear, acid-free polymer sleeve, and the engraved print features a limited edition number matching the last four digits of the serial number on the $50 note. The presentation folder measures 9.5” x 10” and the engraved print 9.5” x 5.5”. The retail price is $85.95. For those ordering in bulk, the set is…

On behalf of American Numismatic Association (ANA – www.money.org), we want to thank Lyn Knight and Doug Davis (www.lynknight.com) for providing a free table for the ANA at your 43rd Annual International Paper Money Show (www.ipmskansascity.com), on June 13 – 16, 2019, at the Sheraton Crown Center Hotel, in Kansas City, Mo. This was the third year that this important paper money event has been held in this location. This hotel and convention center complex make a great venue for a convention of this size. The convention center itself has everything under one roof which include the bourse, exhibit area and auction lot viewing. The lobby of the hotel is only a few steps away from the convention center. It is always nice when you don’t have to go outside…

Shown is a proof of a $10 Series of 1922 gold certificate that carries the never-issued Woods-White signature combination. Walter O. Woods replaced Harley V. Speelman as Register of the Treasury on Oct. 1, 1927. Speelman, a Harding appointee to the position in 1921, was abruptly “retired” without cause by President Coolidge on June 28, 1927 while Coolidge was on vacation in Rapid City, S.D. Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon summoned Speelman to his office in Washington where he set Speelman’s retirement date. Six $10 and three $20 eight-subject electrolytic plates with Woods’ signature commenced between Dec. 8, 1927 and Jan. 6, 1928, but only $10 plates 2 and 3 were finished. The two plates were certified July 16, 1928, but the large note era ran out before either…

An incredible Gold Certificate rarity, a “Triple Signature” 1882 Gold Certificate is one of just three pieces extant and the only such note remaining in private hands. The face of this note has the portrait of Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton (nicknamed “Old Bullion”) to the left and the denomination in two conjoined rosettes at right. Gold overprints include “GOLD” at the top center and backgrounds to the serial numbers. The back is printed in a rich orange-gold and has an eagle at the center. After Dec. 17, 1878, gold coins and paper currency were exchangeable at par in general commerce. Accordingly, these are the first of the Gold Certificates that saw wide use. The engraved signatures of Treasury officials Bruce and Gilfillan are stacked in the lower right corner.…

Heritage Auction’s June 26-28 HKINF World Paper Money Signature sale was another outstanding success. The demand for high-grade Asian rarities continues apace. The presence of two Yuri Solovey collections in the catalog, that of ‘Japan and Territories’ and that of ‘Chinese Foreign Banks & Hong Kong’ put frosting on the cake. Top-selling lot by some $11,000 was a collector’s delight, and consisted of 26 notes described in the Heritage catalog as: “American Bank Note Company Display of Rare and Scarce Proofs from the Early Ta-Ching Government Bank and Bank of China Issues.” The 26 notes were contained within a single frame. The collection from the early 20th century was comprehensive not only in denominations but also in designs. It included proofs of the 1909 issues of the Ta-Ching Government Bank,…

It is amazing what assorted banknote dealers have managed to foist upon an innocent Kiwi collector-abroad. Twenty years ago, almost to the day, one lined me up in his sights at an IBNS bourse in London. He had me in skinned and in the bag before I could feel the pain in my wallet. And it is not as if I even collect notgeld! Today I take comfort from the notion that it was clearly Till Eulenspiegel’s doing. Somewhere in a distant incarnation I believe I stumbled over this degenerate European folk hero whose sociopathic antics make Bart Simpson resemble a born-again angel. He was certainly ready and waiting for me when I wandered jet-lagged into that fateful London bourse where that perceptive dealer laid out an almost complete set…