I know that old banknotes from Peru are not highly values, but their classical depictions of man, woman, and beast are irresistible. Personally, I don’t see these ever getting super-valuable, but at a few dollars apiece, many of these notes are attractive purchases both as moderate investments and for collectors value. It always puts a smile on my face when I manage to win a note that is 70+ years old, has a beautiful design, and I can buy for less than the cost of a coffee. Such is the case with this Peruvian banknote: a 10 Soles do Oro (suns of gold!) from 1939. Just a beauty of a note, in the South American style of the time. This one cost me $3.65 and will find a welcome place in my collection!

Peru p67: 10 Soles de Oro from 1939

There is quite a bit of South American paper money available on eBay, at a relatively inexpensive cost, given the age. Peru, in particular often has banknotes from its first issue back from 1879 (which often sell for around the $10 mark). On this occasion, however, I purchased a 1 Libra banknote from 1922. I love these classic style banknotes, with figures of dames or allegories on them. This banknote features a woman at left, but it is not believed that she is an allegory, given the pictures featured on the remainder of the series. I’m not sure that this was a great investment at $20.50, but it certainly is a valuable addition to my collection.

Peru pick 49: 1 Libra from 1922

I think that paper money featuring allegorical people has a truly old and classic feel, and I believe that this will influence the value of collectable paper money down the road. For this reason, I have been making purchases related to this sort of banknote which, quite often, can be acquired quite inexpensively. Case and point: a Peruvian banknote from 1956. My latest acquisition is that of p77, which is a 10 Soles de Oro banknote from 1956. The front of this note features a seated allegory of Liberty holding a shield and staff at center. These banknotes are still available in UNC condition, though this one is in VF condition. I bought it for $2.74.

Again, I consider these great investments, though I believe it will be 20+ years before these are truly valuable. If you’re planning on being around in 20 years, stock up!

Peru p77: 10 Soles de Oro from 1956

Well, I thought I’d gotten pretty lucky when I managed to land Peru p2 from 1879 for $18.50, even though it is in rough condition:

Peru p2: 2 soles from 1879.

But then I managed to get this banknote from the same seller a couple of minutes later, without even getting the chance to identify it:

Peru pS313: 5 soles from 1877.

I usually don’t purchase banknotes for over $10 without checking them out, but I got this one for $14 and I figure that since it is from the 1800′s its got to be good, right? Little did I know that this is a scarce pS313 which has a catalog value of $150 in Good condition. Wow. Kinda worked out that time …

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.