Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Banknote Reporter

NOTE: The is the second of what is now seen as a four-article discussion of the banknotes and government issues of Surinam. The two remaining are the Central Bank of Surinam beginning in 1957 and the government Zilverbon and Muntbiljet issues from 1918-2004. Establishing the new bank The main banking institution in this former Dutch colony, De Surinaamsche Bank, was founded in 1865. A new bank was needed partly to meet the newfound need for more currency in circulation brought about by the freeing of over 30,000 slaves in 1863. This increase in active population spawned many new shops and businesses of all sorts in Paramaribo and other places. The need became acute since there had not been any real attempt to supply currency since 1847, a full eighteen years…

I am very happy to have dealer and collector Scott Cordry as my Q&A contributor this month. Cordry has a strong background in numismatics. He has worked as a cataloguer for Heritage Auctions and speaks several languages. Like many numismatists, whose pursuits evolve over time, Cordry has developed an interest in Egyptian currency. Q. How long have you been a paper money collector? A. I started collecting USA pennies, nickels and dimes in 1959. When I couldn’t afford the coins I needed, I started collecting Sweden, which was my mother’s family background. I put together a nice collection for a kid in San Diego, but also ran out of coins that I could acquire. Out of total frustration I decided to collect Ottoman Egypt and Turkey, figuring I would have…

While the 1951 issue was being worked on, there was much talk about the coming establishment of a new entity that would be in control of all future currency issues for Surinam. Perhaps with that in mind, the De Bussy banknote producers created this possibly unique example of a 100-gulden issue from a totally ephemeral bank named De Bank Van Suriname N.V. Apparently, the general layout and placement of design elements on both face and back of this proof was adopted for the regular issue. As seen on the back, the original date appears to be 32 Augustus 1950. Handwritten changes made the date 1 Augustus 1951 which became the adopted date on the notes. Its green color is seen on the 25-gulden. The size of 153 x 82mm. was…

Stack’s Bowers April 2021 Hong Kong Auction - Session A was a fun offering to watch. There are always notes one expects to perform well that do perform well. Some fall short of their anticipated mark. I enjoy looking for the notes that exceed expectation and start watching for trends. One high price does not make a trend alone, it needs to be a broader movement and looking to decipher what drives a trend can be a fun pursuit. Some of the lot results that caught my attention are listed below. The first, Lot 40368, was a Merchants Bank of Canada, Prince of Wales 5 Dollar note dated 1919, with the serial number 1 and plate letter “A”. Graded by PMG Extremely Fine 40 EPQ. Included in the lot was…

The 1991 FUN Bureau of Engraving and Printing souvenir card featured a replica of the Legal Tender Series of 1875 $20 with Allison-New Treasury signatures (Fr. 128). The replica came with a red Treasury seal and red tint but no blue serial number. I bought one and dutifully filed it with my others. I suspect like most of you who have one, I didn’t seriously examine it being content with mindlessly “filling that hole” as I filed it away. This is embarrassing because Greg Alexander recently pointed out to me that there were obvious problems with the reproduction. Most glaring is that the Treasury signatures were incompletely rolled into the plate. Specifically, all but the n in John of Register John Allison’s signature is missing and much of the loop…

The handling of Treasury signatures on currency always presented a nuisance to all involved. The volume of Federal currency issues forced rapid innovation and those changes added interesting varieties to the demand and legal tender notes as the federal government got into the note-issuing business during the Civil War era. The following is a revealing verbatim transcript of an item that appeared in the July, 1875, issue of the Banker’s Magazine. A writer in the Indianapolis Journal says: “The law requires all notes, bonds and interest coupons issued by the Government to bear the signature of the Treasurer. In former times, before the invention of greenbacks, and when the bond issues of the Government were comparatively insignificant, the Treasurer used to affix his personal signatures to them. When General Spinner…

First, for errors: The correct email for the Michigan Mining Scrip book is: michiganscrip@gmail.com. If you’re into Upper Peninsula material, this book is the best! The market seems to be gaining strength. In reviewing price estimates for the late April Central States auction at Dallas, this seems to be a trend. Next month I’ll be reviewing the prices realized for a complete collection of Fractional Currency. Staggering rarities will be on the block. After that we’ll be looking at the ANA show in Chicago. Are you a hole filler? I have to admit that I am. It dates back to my days as a paper boy in the early 1950’s. I wanted to make sure there were no holes in my 25 cent Blue Whitman folders. My Buffalo Nickels were…