After recently missing an opportunity on a beautiful antique Nicaraguan banknote featuring a farmer plowing his fields with his oxen a new opportunity re-emerged with a similar scene on Turkish paper money. Pick 199a is a 1 Livre banknote from 1926, which is quickly becoming either very expensive or scarce on eBay, and features a man plowing a field using a couple of oxen. I wasn’t really looking for this banknote in particular, and it wasn’t really a bargain if I use the standard catalog of world paper money as a reference, but I think that it is one of those banknotes that will prove its investment value within a relatively short period of time. This one cost me $50. On the other hand, the lowest Buy It Now price on eBay, for a note in similar condition is $130, so suddenly it doesn’t seem like I overpaid!

Turkey p119a: 1 Livre from 1926

I don’t actually possess very many banknotes from Thailand, though they are quite readily available on eBay. Maybe that’s what inspired me to spend a few of bucks on this 1975 500 Baht banknote, featuring (as always) King Rama IX wearing some traditional Thai robes. The banknote was listed as scarce, though I call bullsh*t on that, as an uncirculated version is only worth $20 as per the Krause catalog (2008 edition). For more values for this banknote go here (values near the bottom of the page).

Thailand p86a: 500 Baht from 1975

Not exactly a great deal, given that the top left corner is missing, but I could not resist purchasing this banknote given that it was issued in 1901. There are two versions of this banknote: pick 6 is purple on the front, as is this one, whereas pick 6A is red on the front. Both versions are blue-green on the back. But these old Martinique banknotes, I predict, will skyrocket in value within ten years. I’m hoping I’m right …

Martinique p6: 5 Francs from 1901

My last acquisition was also from 1964, but unlike the last one, which was from Madagascar, this one is from Rhodesia which is now known as Zimbabwe. This time I got five pounds from said country, which is the highest denomination of its time. That particular issue was limited to 10 Shilling, 1 Pound, and 5 Pound banknotes all of which feature Queen Elizabeth II at right. The banknote is in rough condition but its scarcity encouraged me to spend the $45 USD to purchase it, and add it to my collection.

Rhodesia p26a: 1964 5 Pound banknote

Shah Reza has had many banknotes with his image on them. Throughout the 1930′s he has been on all Iranian banknotes, which are quite highly valued according to the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: General Issues (1368-1960), but not so much on eBay. As it turns out, though these banknotes can fetch upwards of a hundred dollars for the higher denomination, they do not reach the astronomical values in the catalog — at least not on eBay. This makes me wonder why the discrepancy, because the catalog is usually fairly accurate and for an entire issue to be off is strange. Anyhow, I managed to pick up a 50 Rial banknote. I love the front of the banknote, and the back of the banknote is even nicer. The 5, 10, and 20 Rial notes are most common, so this 50 is great. Check it out!

Iran 35Aa: 50 Rials from 1937

I have had a particular interest in Madagascar ever since a close friend of mine went to work there for a while. He returned with a handful of banknotes for me, but more importantly he came back with a little history and current information regarding this island nation off of the east coast of Africa. I have also noticed, since I started collecting banknotes, that the older Francs, with few exceptions, are becoming more scarce and are fetching higher prices. Hence, I picked up a couple of Madagascar banknotes to add to my collection, before they go up any higher in price. Among them was a 500 Franc / 100 Ariary banknote from 1964. It seems like Madagascar has made either one long attempt or several attempts to get away from Francs and establish their own currency. At the present time they are using Ariary as their currency, but inflation is proving to be an issue. This latest note hasn’t been current for a while, and so inflation is not an issue. For $22.87 I got this beauty:

Madagascar p58: 500 Francs / 100 Ariary from 1964

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

When I first saw this note, I was deeply intrigued by the face side of it. No, not the portrait, but the images to the left and right of the portrait. At the bottom left there is an image of a huge and beautiful sail ship. At bottom right there is an image of a huge iron-clad ship from the early 20th century. I found this to be extremely interesting, and was excited to find a few of these banknotes available on eBay for under $20, so I bought a few. Even in F condition, a banknote that cost $20 has been bought at one seventh of its catalog price, if the catalog is to be believed. Either way, this is a beauty that I recommend for both investors and collectors. Old, beautiful, valuable, and cheap in eBay … what a combo!

Latvia pick 18a: 25 Latu from 1928

It was advertised as mega rare on eBay, and though it isn’t really, especially in this condition, this 1 Cordoba banknote is a great addition to my collection for the low price of $9.99. I have noticed that as of late lots of Central American and South American banknotes are selling for a lot of money if they are from 1950 and before. Even low denominations are fetching high prices. Other countries with this phenomenon include, but are not limited to, Guatemala, Peru, Chile, and Honduras. I’m glad I bought this one, especially since my paper money collection is pretty poor in the ‘Nicaragua’ department.

Nicaragua pick 37: 1 Cordoba from 1937

I have a fascination, or at least I am drawn to paper money from the Belgian Congo. Between their relative scarcity and their zoological and cultural depictions, they are perfect for a collector such as myself. They are a little pricey, yet they are still attainable, which is something I love. Its almost like a little challenge …

Anyways, I have purchased pick 16j from the Belgian Congo. This banknote has beautiful coloration, but the back of this banknote possesses the true appeal for me: the back of this banknote features a leopard on the prowl at center. Its beautiful and I don’t mind having paid $41 for it.

Belgian Congo p16j: 50 Francs from 1952

I don’t have a scan of the back of this note, but you can check out a later issue with the same exact back, featuring the leopart right here.