Quick Poll about your U.S. paper money collection

OK, quick poll:

1) Do you collect:
a) Federal Reserve Notes?
b) Silver Certificates?
c) United States Notes?
d) Gold Certificates?
e) Federal Reserve Bank Notes?
f) Star notes?
g) Web press notes?
h) Older notes?

2) Picking one of the above, which is your "main collection"?

3) What is your lowest serial number? (Circulation and "special")

4) What is your highest serial number? (Circulation and "special")

5) What is your best circulation find?

6) Do you have a favorite foreign note? If so, what is it?


I'm hoping this creates some discussion, allows us to determine who
might be able to help with our own collection, determine who might
be good sources for info, and help flush the lurkers of this group.

I'll post my own answers in a separate post.

John
'been wanting to ask most of these questions for a while'

1) Do you collect:

I collect:
a) Federal Reserve Notes?
b) Silver Certificates?
c) United States Notes?
f) Star notes?
g) Web press notes?

2) Picking one of the above, which is your "main collection"?

Star notes seem to be my main collecting area right now.

3) What is your lowest serial number? (Circulation and "special")

I have a 1995 $1 FRN C 0000 3004 D that I got from circulation. I have
no "special release" notes.

4) What is your highest serial number? (Circulation and "special")

I just started working on this, and it's a 2003 $1 FRN E 9578 6742 A
(that series tops at 9600 0000). I also have an interesting 1995
$2 FRN F 9844 6774 B which was cut from a uncut sheet.

5) What is your best circulation find?

1988-A Web-note, G-P block, 5/8 plates
Also a 1934-A $20 FRN in decent shape (if it were a coin, I'd call it
XF).

6) Do you have a favorite foreign note? If so, what is it?

Bahamas $1 with the colorful marine art on the reverse.

John
'told you I'd answer my own questions'

Star notes.

"John Patrick" wrote
1) Do you collect:
a) Federal Reserve Notes? NO
b) Silver Certificates? NO
c) United States Notes? NO
d) Gold Certificates? NO
e) Federal Reserve Bank Notes? NO
f) Star notes? NO
g) Web press notes? NO
h) Older notes? Not sure what you mean.

2) Picking one of the above, which is your "main collection"?
I reject all of the above.
3) What is your lowest serial number? (Circulation and "special")
Irrelevant
4) What is your highest serial number? (Circulation and "special")
Irrelevant
5) What is your best circulation find?
Once built a set of A-L Federal Reserve $1 notes.

6) Do you have a favorite foreign note? If so, what is it?
France 50 Franc "Little Prince/Antoine de Saint-Exupery."

... allows us to determine who might be able to help ...

You parcel US paper into seven arbitrary catagories, and then lump
everything else into foreign. I think that if you scan the history
here, you will see that if any one kind of paper money predominates,
it happens to be Scottish Bank Notes, odd though that may seem.

I just came from the library with an armload of books about mining in
Michigan's Upper Peninsula because I am working on an article about
the notes issued by the Central Mine of Eagle Harbor. They are not on
your radar screen, not being "foreign" and not being "Federal."

Michael
"Laissez faire"

On 16 Oct 2004 16:04:02 -0700, (Michael E.
Marotta) wrote:

"John Patrick" wrote
1) Do you collect:
a) Federal Reserve Notes? NO
b) Silver Certificates? NO
c) United States Notes? NO
d) Gold Certificates? NO
e) Federal Reserve Bank Notes? NO
f) Star notes? NO
g) Web press notes? NO
h) Older notes? Not sure what you mean.

2) Picking one of the above, which is your "main collection"?
I reject all of the above.
3) What is your lowest serial number? (Circulation and "special")
Irrelevant
4) What is your highest serial number? (Circulation and "special")
Irrelevant
5) What is your best circulation find?
Once built a set of A-L Federal Reserve $1 notes.

6) Do you have a favorite foreign note? If so, what is it?
France 50 Franc "Little Prince/Antoine de Saint-Exupery."

Not my favourite, but I always liked that one.

... allows us to determine who might be able to help ...

You parcel US paper into seven arbitrary catagories,

Not exactly "arbitrary". They're common categories that people collect
in. Certainly the categories could have been better devised.
Personally, I would have chosen a different scheme as well.

and then lump everything else into foreign.

Reread the title of the survey. It's about "US paper money", not
foreign. Most collectors who specialise in US often have a
miscellaneous collection as well, and he's well within rights to ask
about that.

I think that if you scan the history
here, you will see that if any one kind of paper money predominates,
it happens to be Scottish Bank Notes, odd though that may seem.

Only because there are two vociferous collectors of same and one much
less active collector of same (namely me, though I'll take anything
within the English imperium). Note once again the title of the survey
- it's not directed towards those who don't collect US paper money.

I just came from the library with an armload of books about mining in
Michigan's Upper Peninsula because I am working on an article about
the notes issued by the Central Mine of Eagle Harbor. They are not on
your radar screen, not being "foreign" and not being "Federal."

That indeed is a curious oversight, though it could be assumed under
"older notes". There are other oversights such as local currencies,
scrip, food stamps, travellers checks, etc., etc. that could be termed
"US paper money".

Padraic.

la cieurgeourea provoer mal trasfu
ast meiyoer ke 'l andrext ben trasfu.

I just came from the library with an armload of books about mining in
Michigan's Upper Peninsula because I am working on an article about
the notes issued by the Central Mine of Eagle Harbor.


The Central Mining Co. has the
distinction of being of the very few
issuers of the $15 denomination.

Michael E. Marotta wrote:
You parcel US paper into seven arbitrary catagories, and then lump
everything else into foreign. I think that if you scan the history
here, you will see that if any one kind of paper money predominates,
it happens to be Scottish Bank Notes, odd though that may seem.

I humbly ask for a pardon, Mr. Marotta. My ignorance in these matters
obviously pales in comparison to your vast knowledge on paper currencies
and will throw myself upon a bed of stakes to appease your anger towards
the worthless amateur collector that I am.

All sarcasm aside, if you didn't like my poll, you didn't have to
answer.
Or, you could have answered thusly:

"My US paper money interests are normally more of local scrips and notes
(such as notes issued by the Central Mine of Eagle Harbor)."

I should have thrown in another choice of i) Other but it was late at
night.

I mostly collect from circulation, and know many here that also grab
selected circulation finds (perhaps consider me the Alan Williams of
$1 notes). The main purpose of the poll was to determine if anyone
else had similar collecting tendencies as I do, in which case there's
the odd chance of trading circulation finds to help each other out.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you were in a
bad mood when you decided to respond to my poll.

Good day, Mr. Marotta.

John
'collect and let collect'

"John Patrick" wrote:
and will throw myself upon a bed of stakes to appease your anger towards
the worthless amateur collector that I am.

Well, you can't! I already threw myself on the official bed of stakes
when I clicked Post Message and then saw "U.S." in the title of the
thread.

"My US paper money interests are normally more of local scrips and notes
(such as notes issued by the Central Mine of Eagle Harbor)."

Well, yes, but that would have been the reasonable thing to do. Don't
forget those 12 FRNs, A through L, that I collected from circulation.

I should have thrown in another choice of i) Other but it was late at
night.

Ditto: "I should have ... but it was late at night" and I chose to
clack out a snappy reply without reading the question.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you were in a
bad mood when you decided to respond to my poll.

I am always in a bad mood. I have been a grumpy old man since I was
12, only now I have the gray hair to go with it.

Michael
humbled but not quite humiliated

Michael E. Marotta wrote:
"John Patrick" wrote:
and will throw myself upon a bed of stakes to appease your anger
towards the worthless amateur collector that I am.

Well, you can't! I already threw myself on the official bed of stakes
when I clicked Post Message and then saw "U.S." in the title of the
thread.

[SNIP]

OK, we're both a bit testy, and it showed. I apologize for my snippy
response.

That district set of FRNs, was it a particular year, particular
value, star notes, etc?

Of course, our little discussion means that you'll probably find a
good circulation find soon and be hooked...

John

"John Patrick" wrote:
That district set of FRNs, was it a particular year, particular
value, star notes, etc?

I was living in Cleveland at the time, on a technical writing project.
Cleveland has its own Fed, of course, so there were a lot of those
around, but other Letters do circulate, Cleveland being relatively
prosperous and cosmopolitan. I think that Atlanta and Kansas City
were the last two I found. I did not pay attention to dates,
signatures, etc. I did, however, swap out less circulated for more,
and eventually got the whole set pretty close to Almost Unc, but not
CU by definition. (I don't care what anyone says, you cannot find an
uncirculated coin in circulation.) I still have the set, in a special
wallet, along with my passport.

Also in terms of US Paper, there is one note I need. The FRN $20 from
1914 which shows transportation. I need the little Wright Flyer for
my set of banknotes with aviation themes. When I looked at prices, it
made no sense to pay so much for VF when for twice that, I could get
an Uncirculated... if I could get an unc. As it turns out, price is
one thing; availability is another.

Michael
"still humble"