When I first decided to start collecting banknotes I began the way I start most new projects, extremely motivated and excited; jumping in head first and blind sighted. However I learned very fast that starting out that way would create chaos to my collection and ultimately lead me to give up on my new project. Having too many options can be as crippling as having none, therefore I wanted to write this blog as a guide for where to begin with your collection so you can avoid despair and bankrupting yourself!
There are many good places to start, by picking a continent and focusing on currency from that particular place, to collecting notes with animals on them, odd denomination notes, historical figures, inflation notes, the possibilities are endless which is why it’s best to start with your own personal interests. I have sold notes to people before who collect notes with certain serial numbers. You could start a collection of notes for countries you have (or more likely) would like to visit, or have animals such as penguins, elephants, cats, birds etc, or are from certain continents, such as Africa, Antarctica (Yes there are notes from here – albeit fun notes – more about this in another blog), Asia & Middle East, Australia & South Pacific, Europe, North & Central America (Including Caribbean Islands – now this is a collection for places I would like to visit), South America! This is where your collection will showcase your own personal style.
With new collectors all the time I hear the ever so colossal comment, “I want to collect a banknote from every country in the world!” Now, I don’t want to put a damper on your enthusiasm, and as I carry banknotes from most countries around the world (not all I promise) I think this would be a great collection to start. However, one has to be realistic on this – unless of course you have the income of Bill Gates, then financially it may not be achievable very quickly. I like to think of collecting banknotes as goal oriented. It is always great when you make a find that fills a hole in say your South American collection.
Don’t get me wrong, when I first started, guess what, I was going to collect a banknote from every country in the world – existing and now gone (such as Biafra) it did not take me long to realize that my wages did not stretch that far and for some ex-countries (for want of a better word) it is virtually impossible to get a banknote from there. I nearly lost interest as I saw my collecting dream starting to disappear, and I am so glad to this day that I realized that I was making this a challenge not a fun hobby. I still wanted the challenge and to enjoy the hobby, so I decided to concentrate on one particular continent and enjoy collecting the notes from there. It is always hard to guide people on where to start collecting, which is why your collection must stem from your passions. If you have any questions or looking for inspiration for places to begin always feel free to contact us, we’re more than happy to help! And as always good luck!
Famous Figures are a very popular choice of
