Overlooked World notes!

[Nota_phil]

There are many overlooked nations & you don't have to look too far. Most banknotes from the Central & Southern American continents can get tough once you go back to the 1990's or earlier.

Guatemala has the inexpensive 1/2 Quetzal. Their P-72 note (1989-1992) was printed by the Canadian Bank Note Co (CBNC). It is a pretty common note (despite the 10,000,000 print releases) but has some very cool features revealed under UV light. Many collectors admire the portrayal of Tecun Uman (obverse) & the Tikal Temple portrayed on the reverse.
Also, there are tougher versions, like the P-79 printed by FCO in France (1992) or P-96 in the UK printed by Harrison & Sons (1996). The farther one goes back, the tougher these notes get!

Guatemala_P96_Half_Q.jpg (214.98 KiB) Viewed 12814 times

Here's P-88, the 1993 5 Quetzal, printed by the CBNC & has a NRI of 58 which isn't surprising since it had only 8,000,000 issued. This one is an easy catch but if you start hunting for the earlier versions, they can get tough cost more than $8.00

Guatemala_5_P-88.jpg (1.22 MiB) Viewed 12814 times

Finally, before leaving the Western Hemisphere, I'd just like to point out that the tiny Falkland Islands are often overlooked. This P-12 from 1983 had a 200,000 print run:

When I started collecting World banknotes I noticed that these notes would often get mixed results on auction so I threw a few bids on some of the tougher earlier versions & won. If you'd like to check out my personal set than take this link to my Falkland Islands Spotlight page:
https://sites.google.com/view/notaphily ... and-spot-2

Falkland_P12_5Pounds.jpg (201.77 KiB) Viewed 12814 times

Falkland_P12_5Pounds_R.jpg (205.8 KiB) Viewed 12814 times

[Nota_phil]

As soon as we cross the big pond (Atlantic) we come across the UK and a lot of collectors look for White Fivers & notes from Great Britain, overlooking many tough varieties from Ireland & Scotland.

For Ireland, we don't have to go back as far as the "Ploughman Series" but if you can find an EPQ example, I'd snap it up. Instead, we often think of the Lady Lavery series & most of us want either a 10 Pound or 20 Pound example. What we tend to overlook are the Five Quid denominations & I picked up this "OOK" replacement for a few dollars more than a regular 5 Pound note:

Ireland_5L_P65c_rep.jpg (232.92 KiB) Viewed 11764 times

Ireland_5L_P65c_rep.jpeg (242.27 KiB) Viewed 11764 times

(P-65 has a NRI of 70 & even though this 1975 date is common, the replacement variety is anything but).

But a lot of us overlook the subsequent series which were not kept in high grades in big numbers. Plus there's many tough dates that often get dismissed by most buyers at auction. A great example is this 1976 Five Pound (P-71b note) which I picked up for the same price as a common 1990's version:

Ireland_5P_P71b cropped.jpeg (138.25 KiB) Viewed 11764 times

Ireland_5P_P71b_r crop.jpeg (125.06 KiB) Viewed 11764 times

This note doesn't have a super high NRI but there were only 4% of the 1976 2nd (b) signature variety (compared to the 50%+ notes documented from the 1990's). In short, it's a tough date hiding in plain sight.
If you think this rule applies for the 5 Pound, it becomes even more pronounced for the 10 & 20 pounds. These higher denominations get pricey (& I don't have an example yet) but I can tell you, that these big notes are worth the money.

There are many Northern Ireland banknotes which follow the same pattern. Many World collectors consider Northern Ireland to be blatantly overlooked & I could not agree more!

(Tomorrow, I will sum up with some of the tougher notes from Scotland).

[Nota_phil]

Scotland has 10 different banks to choose from: the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Bank of Scotland and the Clydesdale Bank are probably the most popular (& least overlooked). The National, National Commercial and Commercial Bank of Scotland can be easy to get mixed up. The British Linen, North of Scotland and Union Bank of Scotland are somewhat less confusing but many of these are the results of mergers such as the Clydesdale & North of Scotland Bank. Most of these banks have tough issues to acquire in better grades especially the higher the denomination (due to their large format-size). Ten and Twenty Pound notes had a lot of buying power & they got folded (and pinned) regularly. Be wary of pressed & processed (trimmed) notes (anything that may look too good to be true)!

The National Commercial Bank of Scotland Ltd issued one of my favourite designs which featured the Forth Bridge on their 1, 5, 10, 20 & 100 Pound notes:

Scotland P267 crop.jpg (301 KiB) Viewed 11660 times

Scotland P267r cro.jpg (283.81 KiB) Viewed 11660 times

I am a big fan of the other banks I have mentioned above but have failed to win most of these at auction. I also have found them expensive but when you look at their high NRI (Numista Rarity Index) you will understand why (they're tough notes to get in higher grades) and are well worth it (IMO).

[Nota_phil]

Scottish & Irish banknotes have a big following & most are not overlooked (like the examples mentioned) but some of their northern banks & later series don't get the attention they deserve (& deals can be had). The same principle applies for some of the Channel Island "QEII" series from Jersey or Guernsey. These series get a lot of love from English collectors but collectors tend to focus on favourite designs & this means some later series can be cheap. Sometimes, its a matter of knowing where to look, timing or finding a friend who has a few doubles.

Today, I want to focus on pre-Euro (which is a very big topic) so it will take a bit of time (or a # of Saturday posts).

The first place I wish to look at will be a small state that dropped their currency as soon as the Euro arrived in 2002. I'm thinking Luxembourg. If you can manage to score an original Grand Duchess Charlotte note, then by all means, go for it. I'm not talking about UNC but VF to AU will do so long as it is original (or EPQ with no pinholes, no issues). The larger the denomination, the larger the format, and the younger portraits have very appealing American Banknote designs. Below is one of my first World purchases (P-47), a problem free VF+ 100 Francs early version without a prefix:

Lux 100 P47.jpeg (263.46 KiB) Viewed 10043 times

Luxembourg100R.jpg (248.5 KiB) Viewed 10043 times

This note was won at auction for about $50 USD.

The early "Duke Jean" series (P-53 to P-56 Treasury notes) are much more common but you won't see a lot of UNC examples for sale. And prices have been steadily creeping up. Here's an attractive P-54b 20 Francs. I have the 50 Francs too, and both notes should be between $20-$35 USD. However, few UNC examples are being offered so prices could go up. I would also chase the P-14 & P-14A 100 Francs issued by the International Bank of Luxembourg, should the opportunity arise. I only see the P-14A being offered from time to time.

Luxembourg_20_P54b.jpg (424.2 KiB) Viewed 10043 times

Luxembourg_20_P54b_rev.jpg (414.37 KiB) Viewed 10043 times

[Nota_phil]

Most of Europe is not overlooked so you will find big fans of the many series coming out of Germany, Spain & France (to name a few). The opportunity for overlooked notes, I believe, comes from smaller nations, such as Belgium.
There are older series from this country which don't have very low Numista Rarity Indexes (NRI #) but you don't see them in high grades very often. I am thinking of the 20 Francs P-132, 50 Francs P-133 & the 100 Francs P-134
Check out the French design elements in P-133 at Numista:
https://en.numista.com/207631
I don't own this note yet but am looking forward to picking a nice UNC example up one of these days. There are later series too, which are quite affordable, but their designs become less artistic (in the French tradition) & more contemporary.

I always like to pick up notes from series that have been modified. The pre-1981 P-140 100 Francs had the signatures placed on each side after 3 years to create a new modified version or P-142.

Belgium_P-140_100F.jpeg (293.87 KiB) Viewed 8188 times

Belgium_P-140_100_r.jpeg (272.69 KiB) Viewed 8188 times

Only 18% of Numista users have a P-140 and you will see this note often confused with P-142. The same modification occurred for the 500 Francs P-141 which then became P-143. Try to get yourself the first version.

I am also keen on acquiring some of the 1997 series since it appears that some of the notes were actively culled during the Euro transition.

Check my Collector's Corner page for further commentary:
https://sites.google.com/view/notaphily ... -banknotes

[PetCin88]

I think the Maldives 1980 50 Rufiyaa is mostly overlooked as it isn’t sold much (rarely) online….

IMG_1251.jpeg (326.16 KiB) Viewed 7452 times

IMG_1252.jpeg (302.14 KiB) Viewed 7452 times

[Nota_phil]

That's a beautiful note @PetCin88! (Thanks for sharing)

The next European country I feel is overlooked is Finland. I believe it is partly due to their long lasting successive series & very conservative designs. Many collectors don't get the "Litt A" (or "Litt B") designations & other peculiar aspects found on Finnish currency. "Litt A" is usually the first modification of a series while "Litt B" is the second. Typically, notes without the designation are the tough ones!

Here's an example of a very common 1986 10 Marka note except it also happens to be a replacement. The prefix "199" designated replacement function:

Finland_P113r_10M.jpeg (301.91 KiB) Viewed 6990 times

Finland_P113r_10M_r.jpeg (295.93 KiB) Viewed 6990 times

I would consider a small nation like Finland an excellent place to start collecting if you're interested in Pre-Euro nations.

Check my Collector's Corner page for further commentary:
https://sites.google.com/view/notaphily ... -banknotes

[Nota_phil]

Estonia:

If you wish to get some pre-Euro notes I would definitely focus on Estonia series from 1991-2007. I even found this inexpensive 1 Krooni P-69 a bit tough to find (in UNC) a few years back when I started buying.

Estonia 1 Krone.jpg (707.46 KiB) Viewed 5158 times

I bought the "AA" first prefix but the seller ran out so I had to settle for the 2nd AB prefix.

It gives you an idea of the early designs which lack the later security devices (such as the foil security strips).

I later picked up the 1994 P-78 50 Krooni (which was still very affordable at the time):

Estonia 50K P78a crop.jpeg (139.23 KiB) Viewed 5158 times

One of my earliest pre-Euro purchase was this cheap P-87 25 Krooni from 2007:

Estonia_P87_25K.jpeg (159.35 KiB) Viewed 5158 times

And I won this 1999 P-82 100 Krooni for a fantastic price as it was offered true auction style about 4 years ago:

Estonia_P-82_100K.jpeg (222.05 KiB) Viewed 5158 times

If you get a chance to add the odd note from Estonia to your pre-Euro sets, than go for it! The higher the denomination & farther back to 1991 (pre-security strip), the tougher the note. And remember I will be adding weekly commentary to this theme of overlooked world notes on my Collector's Corner page.
https://sites.google.com/view/notaphily ... -banknotes

[Nota_phil]

Latvia
I visited this country before the Euro was introduced and was struck by how expensive these "Lati" were. Since that time, I came to realize that the nation is small (doesn't produce boatloads of currency as some nations do) and this was partly responsible for the high exchange rate against the GBP. My English buddies (who visited the country before me) sold me some rags so I had no choice but to spend them & go online for my notes.

I do believe that the Baltic nation's notes are often overlooked. Old Lats are great to collect but they're rarely offered. The non-Russian, most recent series started in 1992 and these early versions are especially tough & should be on pre-Euro collector's radars though the 2000 version are much more accessible. Their designs are all very similar (except dates/security strip widths) on 3 series for the lower denominations (1992; 1996-2001 & 2006-2009). The higher denominations are tough yet seem easier to get in higher grades:

P-53c 2009 5 Lati:

Latvia P-53c_5L.jpeg (204.95 KiB) Viewed 3498 times

Latvia P-53c_5_r.jpeg (204.76 KiB) Viewed 3498 times

P-50 2000 10 Lati

Latvia_10_P50 crop.jpg (298.81 KiB) Viewed 3498 times

P-55b 2009 20 Lati

Latvia_P55_20L_R.jpg (98.68 KiB) Viewed 3498 times

Latvia_P55b_20L.jpg (156.4 KiB) Viewed 3498 times

[Nota_phil]

Lithuania:
This country has interesting currency going back to the Old Litas from 1922-1941. However, the first series rarely come up for auction so I will skip the coupons & cut to the chase, the post-1992 (Soviet era) notes when the first New Litas (1991-1993) were printed by the United States Banknote Co. This short lived 2-tone post-indepedence series wasn't released till 1993 but they remain in high demand (& their low numbers make them a challenge to find).

The second 1993-1994 series were printed by TDLR & their designs get more intricate and colourful. I only managed to get the FIVE P-55 from this series:

Lithuania_P55_5L.jpeg (254.04 KiB) Viewed 1498 times

Lithuania_P55_5L_r.jpeg (245.41 KiB) Viewed 1498 times

The 1997 series printed by G&D has a new additional 100 & 200 redesign/issue and remember, the higher the denomination, the lower the # issued: the tougher to find! This is my first tough note, the 10 LITU (P-59) featuring the pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas:

Lithuania_10_P59.jpeg (311.67 KiB) Viewed 1498 times

Lithuania_10_Rev.jpg (380.22 KiB) Viewed 1498 times

I also have the the more accessible (last) 2007 series. Here's the 20 Litu or P-69:

Lithuania 20 Litu.jpg (293.36 KiB) Viewed 1498 times