In an effort to add as many countries as possible to my collection, I have always kept an eye out for banknotes from Martinique, as I do not have any paper money from this caribbean nation. Lots of banknotes from 1944 and on are available, at a pretty hefty price. Even Martinique paper money that is in rough shape has a tendency to go for prices above catalog value. And so I feel lucky to be able to add a 1942 5 Franc note from Martinique, which, though it is only a couple years older than the 1944 issue has a tendency to be much more rare for some reason. I picked this not up for $29.55, which is well below the $75.00 catalog value in Fine condition. I’d never seen this note in auction until the day I bought it. Well, here’s one more country to cross of my list!

Martinique Pick 16b from 1942: 5 Francs

Seems to me like I got a great deal on eBay again. I have purchased the complete 1989-1992 issue of Uruguay banknotes, as issued by the central bank of Uruguay. The set is a nine banknote set which includes three scarce unissued banknotes and the high denomination 500,000 Nuevos Pesos banknote which is valued at $125 in the catalog. The whole set was purchased for $95!! And as far as I can see there is one more of these sets on eBay, selling for the same price. Check it out:

Uruguay Official 1989-1992 Set

In the meantime, take a look at a picture of some of the notes of the set:

Uruguay 1989-1992 Issue Complete Set of Banknotes

I never knew that Southern Rhodesia was ever its own state / country, that it existed, nor that it issued its own paper money from 1943-1955. I actually realized that such a place existed as a result of an eBay auction where I also acquired banknotes from Rhodesia and Rhodesia and Nyasaland. But I digress ..

I managed to snag this five shilling note, in Fine condition, dated 1.1.1943 for $41.50 USD. This is of substantial investment value. I always have an eye on eBay auctions, and this is the first time I ever came across such a banknote. This is a clear sign of the rarity of this item; not to mention that it appears to be the first banknote issued for this country, even though it is pick #8 in the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money.

Check it out:

Southern Rhodesia Pick 8 -- Five Shillings from 1943 featuring King George IV.

The back of Southern Rhodesia Pick 8 -- Five Shillings from 1943.