RealBanknotes.com is, and always will be a free website. Even the members section is free, and always will be. However, while programming the site I decided to make registration ‘By Invitation Only’ because I am more concerned about the quality of our members, than the quantity. So, as part of the system, a registration code is required to register as a member, and registered members have only a handful of invites that they can offer. As of February 1st (today) I have started handing out some registration codes to begin the process of registering interested members. I have a handful of friends in this hobby, and a few favorite eBay sellers as well. However, I will also be posting a few invite codes on this Paper Money Blog as well as on RealBanknotes.com. Once they’re gone …

used: wZDLc6vaKC7rqn5
used: 1CWPMx7mNHkZ0Qn

See you at RealBanknotes.com!

Well, the new site is coming along. Its definitely a lot of work, and so I do appreciate the patience. Its been a long time coming, but at the same time the new website is much more complex than the old, and it is all being custom coded. Currently, I am adding both user and administrative functions which will allow the site to be maintained in a very efficient manner. I am building the site so that when registration is open, users will immediately be able to create useful accounts and have the ability to contribute to the community through scan uploads, news publishing, and the creation of ‘favorite banknote lists’, ‘ebay auction lists’, and ‘banknote wishlists.’ The paper money forum will be created after the site has been launched …

Maybe a teaser screenshot?

Latest Screenshot of the New Website

The latest version of the paper money collectors website RealBanknotes.com is still under construction. However, lots of progress has been made in the last couple of weeks, and although I can’t pin-point a date, I am hoping to have the latest version online soon. It features a much more elaborate database, with updated values, and added functions such as a members section and forums. However, be forewarned: the members section will be ready a few months after the launch of the site. The front-end will be online in the near future, and the back-end … well … in the future ;)

However, with the current version we are approaching 1.5 MILLION banknote views. Not bad considering that the site was launched just over a year ago. Anyways, enough pats on the back for myself.

Here is a preview of the new site:

Well, I’ve fallen behind in the blog … again. However, its not because of lack of interest or procrastination. I am in the midst of building a much improved version of RealBanknotes.com which will include better display and organization of banknotes (finally banknotes will be organized by pick number!!) Furthermore, the site will have its own blog, search, forums, top 10, featured auctions as well as a members section with advanced features such as value tracking, image uploading, and other such things.

I am also adding catalog values for 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011, as well as thousands of banknote images are being added to the gallery/listings.

As usual, I am open to suggestions for features and functions that you would like. Please let me know by emailing me at: proteus [at] realbanknotes.com.

I’m hesitant to post a screenshot, because the new website will be much more attractive than what it is at the moment, however:

RealBanknotes.com v3.00

I remember when I first started to collect paper money, some of the very first banknotes I bought were from the very beautiful 1928 issue, all of which featured very picturesque depictions of battles, colonization, and other such events on the reverse side. This latest addition to my collection isn’t quite as colorful, however I have always liked these classically styled banknotes, even when they are in monotone. This latest note was, I believe, a decent deal at $15.50. The man at center is none other than Columbus himself!

Its been a little while since I posted any entries on this paper money blog, but I am actually trying to accomplish something at RealBanknotes.com — I am trying to finish adding all the banknotes and values for the 2008 catalog. I know that this is a bit outdated, but this is what I started out with, so I wish to complete these entries before I revise the website with 2011 listings and paper money values. Keeping this site updated is an endless task, but its a labour of love! Currently, here are the website stats:

– Banknotes Listed: 40430
– Banknotes With Images: 8544
– Banknotes Values: 42698
– eBay Sales Values: 7694
– Banknote Views: 622405

This is a substantial increase in all areas, since the last website update. Thank you for your patronage! If you haven’t been on our site yet, visit RealBanknotes.com for paper money images and values. Cheers.

French Somaliland became the French Overseas Territory of Afars and Issas, then the independent state of Djibouti (in 1977). Before that the French issued money there, as it was a colony of theirs. Banknotes from this region and era are scarce and pricey, but it seems that pick 26 is the most common on eBay. Regardless, this one cost $31.01 but is only the second banknote that I have from this ‘country.’ I could not figure out, for the life of me, what the picture on the front was supposed to represent, but the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money finally described it as ‘stylized corals’. Poor depiction, but at least now I know …

French Somaliland p26 from 1952 (100 Francs)

Its been a long time since I posted any progress reports on our parent website, RealBanknotes.com. Here are the current stats, as of right now:

- Banknotes Listed: 40334
- Banknotes With Images: 6391
- Banknotes Values: 40013
- eBay Sales Values: 7092
- Banknote Views: 294206

I have recently added almost 6000 banknotes to the database, and have added images for over one thousand banknotes since the last update. Also, almost 11,000 paper money catalog values have been added recently, and our banknote views have soared by 160,000 banknote views in the last two months. That means have have had 80,000 banknote views at RealBanknotes.com per month over the last two months, and that figure is constantly growing. Thanks for your support.

Next on the agenda:

Adding the remainder of the paper money catalog values for the 2008 catalogs. There are only a few thousand more values to add, but I am taking a break from adding catalog values and have decided to add more photos / images of paper money. Once I am bored with adding images, I will revert back to adding catalog values. Once I have both catalog values and images updated for all nations up to 2008, then I will probably toy with the idea of a design change in preparation for the 2012 catalogs.

Its been a while since I updated the blog on the statistics for RealBanknotes.com but, truth be told, this is because I have been not only too busy to update the blog, but also to make much of an addition to www.RealBanknotes.com. This will change over the next month, as I have re-hired a data entry company to finish adding paper money from the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues. Then I will be in charge of adding catalog values as well as images to the database, but that’s for another day. As it stands, here is what we’ve got on the site at the moment:

- 34809 Banknotes listed
- 5369 Banknotes with images
- 29008 Catalog values
- 6527 eBay sales values
- 136082 Banknote views

Thank you for your patronage! To support the website, and this monumental project, please take a moment to click one of the ads on the site!! This is very much appreciated, always.

Well, the new www.RealBanknotes.com has been launched!

The new website features the following changes: a much more aesthetically pleasing layout and theme, a built-in homepage blog (which is a duplicate of the blog.realbanknotes.com blog), a complete index of old blog posts, an advanced paper money search function, and real time ebay listings of paper money.

Over the next few weeks, and maybe eternally, I will be working on the website to add more catalog values and images, as well as to continue listing every banknote available in both the General Issues and Modern Issues of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money. Currently I have 34,000+ banknotes listed, but only about 1,500 images, and 15,000+ catalog values. These figures will grow with time …

If you have any comments, suggestions, and ideas, I may still implement them.