I have recently been contacted by a certain Allan Tohv, who specializes in Estonian paper money. Mr. Tohv is both a member of IBNS and an author, and he has recently written and published a book on the history of Estonian paper money. The book is entitled “Coins and Paper Money of the Republic of Estonia 1991-2010″. The book is 95 pages long, and is available in both hard cover or handmade leather bound versions. The book includes more than 250 colour reproductions and is almost sold out — there are only few copies left. The price is 120 USD + postage. For more information contact Mr. Allan Tohv: allant@uninet.ee.

Coins and paper money of the Republic of Estonia 1991-2010 by Allan Tohv

I have recently purchased a complete set of Liberian banknotes, at what I think is a good deal. This seller has a few more such sets, and I thought I’d share the deal with you guys (I am assuming that you consider this a deal ;). For just $23 + $3 shipping you can get the 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 dollar set sent to your door. Check this deal out here: benrita2010 eBay store.

Here’s what you can expect:

Complete set of Liberian paper money from the 2009 issue.

French Somaliland became the French Overseas Territory of Afars and Issas, then the independent state of Djibouti (in 1977). Before that the French issued money there, as it was a colony of theirs. Banknotes from this region and era are scarce and pricey, but it seems that pick 26 is the most common on eBay. Regardless, this one cost $31.01 but is only the second banknote that I have from this ‘country.’ I could not figure out, for the life of me, what the picture on the front was supposed to represent, but the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money finally described it as ‘stylized corals’. Poor depiction, but at least now I know …

French Somaliland p26 from 1952 (100 Francs)

This paper money, featuring ships docked at the Leo-Kinshasa wharf has eluded me for quite a while. I regret not buying it a couple of years ago, when it was cheaper, but even $103.50 can be considered a bargain for this scarce note. It is definitely harder and harder to find, especially in this good of a condition. The back of this banknote features an African transporting fruit in a dugout canoe.

Belgian Congo p34: 500 Francs from 1959

I was actually hunting for a Trinidad & Tobago $2 banknote because anything from that era above and beyond the $2 denomination has always been out of my reach, however I was to have a little luck in my hunt. Not only did I end up purchasing the $2 bill I was looking for, I also scored this $5 bill for $36USD. I know that the corner is torn off, but I never expected to add this banknote to my collection. This entire series of banknotes by Trinidad & Tobago features the same imagery on all the notes, unfortunately, with a difference in color distinguishing one denomination from another. The most common is the $1 bill which can often be bought for around $10 on eBay and is blue.

Trinidad pick 7b: 5 Dollars from 1939

In my quest to add every country that ever issued paper money to my collection I have purchased a completely work out old banknote from British North Borneo (Malaya area of Asia). This particular note is from 1938, though British North Borneo has issued a few issues of this denomination. Unfortunately I had to cough up $51 for this banknote, but that is how it is with British North Borneo. Supply is low, demand is high. This one might even turn out to be a decent investment in the end, considering scarcity of such notes. Ugly, but valuable ;)

British North Borneo p27: 50 Cents from 1938

I don’t exactly know what got into me lately, but I have been seeking out any bargains on banknotes from Mali. For a long time I was looking for banknotes from the first issue, but as part of my search on eBay, I found a high denomination note from the second series. I definitely wasn’t expecting to win this note for $29.56, which I did, considering the fact that the 100 Franc banknotes from both the first and second series (this one is from the second series) were selling for $25+ in similar condition. Anyhow, I put in my bid and actually won this one. This 1000 Franc note is somewhat scarce, and was a great buy for under $30. If you can find a similar deal, take it! The demand for first and second issue paper money from Mali has gone up tons lately.

Mali Pick 9: 1000 Francs from 1967

I’ve done something that I usually don’t do … I have purchased a banknote via ‘Buy It Now’ on eBay, and it wasn’t even a bargain according to both the current exchange rate and catalog values.  However, I required a Sri Lankan 2000 Rupee banknote to complete the most recent issue from this country.  These banknotes are actually very attractive in appearance, although this highest denomination is not the most attractive, particularly on the back side of this paper money.  However, the set is complete and I am happy about this.

Sri Lanka p121: 2000 Rupees from 2006