The trend has been going for quite a while, so I am sure that avid collectors are already weary of this fact, but paper money featuring the young Queen Elizabeth II fetches much more value than money of the same value, from the same era, but without her majesty. Of particular note are banknotes from the Bahamas and Jamaica (pre-1961 issue), which have been fetching tidy sums of money on eBay in any condition above VF. Unfortunately I cannot afford to buy one of those notes, so I have settled on something different, which I hope will go up in value in the same fashion: a Malta p27a which is a five pound banknote from 1961. The banknote features a young Queen Elizabeth II at right and hasn’t soared to the values of the Bahamas and Jamaica counterparts, but I have a feeling that this will change. Good investment? Only time will tell …

Malta p27a: 5 Pound banknote from 1961

With no exceptions that I can think of, Czechoslovakian specimen banknotes from the pre-world war II era have been selling for much more than catalog value. The most common banknotes of this type that are found on eBay are from the 1926-1934 issue as issued by the Czechoslovak National Bank. Pick 24, the 500 Korun banknote, and pick 25, the 1000 Korun banknote are most common. Specimens of these banknotes are valued at $15 and $20, respectively, in uncirculated condition. However, I feel very lucky to have won an auction on a very fine conditioned 24s for a price of $9.05, as I have seen these banknotes sell for over their UNC catalog values even in conditions as low as F. Here’s my winner:

Czech pick 24s: 500 Korun from 1929 (Specimen)

I’m not sure why the second series of paper money from Mali are so in-demand at the moment, but they are definitely more expensive than their first series counterparts, which is unusual. The front of the banknotes are fairly bland, with just color and size differentiating one denomination from another. However, anything above and including the 100 Franc banknote is quite valuable, so I feel lucky to have won this banknote for $22.50. Yes, it is in a beat up state, but this is African paper money we’re talking about here! This is pick 8 from Mali, the 1967 series 500 Franc banknote:

Mali p8 from 1967: 500 Francs

Well, another Canadian banknote, but this time I think I got a steal of a deal. Yes, it is missing a really big chunk of the top right corner, but the missing piece hardly takes away from the design, either on the front or back. I figure that this is the only reason why no one on eBay was willing to bid more than the $73 that I paid for it. Big mistake, I think, as this denomination and vintage is seldom seen on eBay (as a matter of fact, I don’t remember ever seeing this bill before). Ofcourse, this is a Dominion of Canada banknote.

One point of interest: the Krause description of Canada pick 24Ca states that the Gent on the front of the note is Edward, Prince of Wales. However, this looks to be a younger King George V to me. Is Krause wrong, or am I?? Can anyone confirm the name and title of this bloke? Here he is:

Canada pick 24Cb: 1897 2 Dollar Banknote

In quite the random fashion, I found a series of Uruguay paper money on eBay, dated 1887. Ofcourse, the banknotes were sold individually and they were the lower denominations of the set, but I always find it exciting to add some paper money from pre-1900 to my collection, especially if it was relatively inexpensive. The thing is that the catalog values for these notes are also fairly low, but sometimes you want to own something for the history of it, and not just as an investment in currency.

The notes that I bought were Uruguay pA87a, pA88a, pA89a, and pA90a. Of these pA90a, a 1 peso note, is my favorite. On the front there is a village scene including some carts, oxen etc. A truly beautiful piece of history, I think.

Here’s how it looks:

Uruguay pick A90: 1 Peso from 1887