I have been trying to purchase this banknote for quite some time. I remember losing two auctions on this same bill about 6 months ago: the eventual winners paid $14.55 and $17.33. I purchased this one for $34.55, and feel fortunate to have won it for this little. It is quite obvious to me that the supply has been drying up, and I won a second banknote like this shortly after this first one. Great investments, I believe. The thaler issues are becoming ridiculously scarce, including this 2 thaler banknote which used to be relatively common.

Ethiopia p6: 2 Thalers from 1933

Though Newfoundland is a province of Canada, it did not become one until 1949 and is the last province to join Canada. Up until the 1920′s, and starting from the 1850′s Newfoundland issued its own paper money which ranged from 1 Pound to 25 Cents to 2 Dollars. Banknotes from Newfoundland are pretty rare on eBay, and the most that I have ever seen are less than 20 at one time, most of which are available only through ‘Buy It Now’ sales for very high prices. So when this one popped up as an auction, I kept my eyes on it, and finally had the good fortune to win it for $61. Yes, the condition is very rough, but not only is this a scarce banknote, but it also adds another new country to my list of countries from which I have paper money. And no, Newfoundland is no longer a country, so this is also a non-existing country on my list.

Newfoundland pA10: 50 Cents from 1912

I have seen this note quite often on eBay, though I do have to say that no one has ever bought it for as little as $5.50 as I have. This banknote features a portrait of King Emanuele III at left on the face side, and the back features ‘Italia’ at right. I love how attractive the color of this note is: I love the blue. The signatures on this note are Grassi, Porena, and Cossu, making it pick 25c.

Italy 10 Lire from 1939 (p25c)

Its in bad shape, but I have purchased a Hong Kong one dollar bill featuring King George the sixth. This banknote can be found in several colors: green, blue, and purple. There are also similar banknotes featuring King George the fifth and Queen Elizabeth II.

Here’s mine:

Germans ruled East Africa from 1884-1918 and, in 1905, they printed money for their African colony. The first issue came out in 1905 and was composed of 5, 10, 50, 100, and 500 rupien denominations. The latter three featured pictures of Kaider Wilhelm II in uniform. The 10 rupien banknote featured Dar es Salam Harbor at ceter, and p1, the 5 rupien banknote features two lions at bottom center. This banknote is a rare example of German colonial paper money, with the exclusion of notgeld (which is crap in my opinion).

I have recently splurged and purchased p1, the 5 rupien banknote for $88.50. It is in F condition, and therefore valued at only $45USD by catalog prices, but anyone who is a serious collector knows that his banknote is a bargain even at $100. Besides, it is becoming exceedingly rare, so I grabbed one while I still could.

German East Africa: p1 or 5 Rupien from 1905

When I was bidding I was actually worried that the banknote was going to be a crappy notgeld-type note, but it is actually a full sized banknote, thank God. Anyways, there’s an entire set of these banknotes, 5-500 rupien, up for sale on eBay for $650, and I strongly recommend that anyone who can afford it to buy it. The 500 Rupien banknote will soon sell for $650 on its own, in my opinion.

In the 1940′s Malaya printed an issue of money, ranging from 1 cent to 10,000 dollars featuring the portrait of King George VI. As mentioned in a more recent post, p11, the $1 bill is readily available for a very affordable price of around $10USD and is a solid investment in my books. Picks 6-10 are also available often and encompass the fractional currency of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. Pick 12, which is a $5 bill is not seen too often, and p13, the banknote featured here is up for auction often, though at a premium. I purchased this one for $41.55USD. A good investment none-the-less, I think.

This, really, was not a good purchase in terms of investment or in comparison to the catalog value. This banknote in Good condition is valued at $2.50, and I purchased it for $5.85. However, I love these old notes, and this one is a whopping 130 years old. Not my oldest note, nor my most valuable one, however, as cost-per-year goes, probably the best purchase in that category.

Though p20a from Latvia is not the prettiest of notes (it does feature Prime Minister K. Ulmanis at right, who is really creepy looking) it is a rare find, even in VG condition. Quite randomly, I found this note on eBay, and managed to snag it at a very good price: $3.65, which is a little more than one tenth of its catalog value in this condition. Bargains abound!

Paper money from the Belgian Congo offers an interesting glimpse into colonization of the African continent. These notes are usually either badly damaged or very expensive. The following example is a 20 Franc banknote from 1949 that falls into the first category. However, so far it has proven itself less common than either the 5 Franc, 10 Franc, or 50 Franc notes of the same issue. I managed to pick this one up for $11.83USD.

Belgian Congo Pick 15G -- 20 Francs from 1949.

On eBay, Bulgaria’s most common issue of paper money is the 1951 issue featuring 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 500 leva. However, these banknotes are nearly worthless, even in uncirculated condition. However, if you purchase any bulk lots off of eBay, you will end up with several of these, for obvious reasons. Hence, any of these notes, and many since that date, are not particularly valuable or sought after. But some notes from the previous issues are both valuable and interesting — what makes them remarkable is the fact that these notes, mostly due to the stigma surrounding the 1951 issue, are often available for peanuts. Many auctions go without a single bid, so oftentimes one can buy these notes for the starting bid price.

Recently I came across a seller from Bulgaria, who was auctioning off many old notes from Bulgaria. True, most of the older notes were quite beat up, but this was a varied collection of seldom seen notes from Bulgaria, most of which I bought for $0.99 apiece, which was the auction starting price. Perhaps my favorite, this 50 Leva Zlatni is the Bulgarian equivalent of Gold Certificates. I got this note for $0.99USD, and many others like it for the same price. Keep your eyes open for these notes if you’re hoping to expand your collection on a limited budget.

Bulgaria 50 Leva Zlatni from 1917 (p24b)