Collectible Currency
Every day we talk to dozens of people either through email or on the phone about their collectible or not so collectible currency. We have put this page together to help our visitors and potential customers learn more about their collectible currency. So if you have time, please read through this page. When you are finished, if you still have questions or have determined that your collectible currency is something that you think we would be interested in, then by all means give us a call or send us an email and tell us about it: admin@oldcurrencyvalues.com
STEP 1 – Is Your Collectible Currency from a Foreign Country?
We do not buy currency from foreign countries. We only buy and appraise collectible currency that was issued by The United States, National Banks, States, or The Confederacy. We do not currently deal with in any way currency from foreign countries. If you have currency which you believe is collectible, but it is from a foreign country, then please visit the foreign currency values website.
STEP 2 – Is Your Collectible Currency Authentic?
The good news is that 99.9% of the collectible currency we see that was issued by the United States is authentic. However, if you have collectible currency from the Colonial times (the 1700s), from The Confederate States of America (1861-1864), from The Republic of Texas (1838-1841), or collectible currency that says something like State of Florida or State of Georgia, etc, then there is a chance that your collectible currency is actually just a modern reproduction.
We are very proud of our guide to counterfeit and reproduction currency. If your bill has a serial number that matches the serial number on the reproduction page, then your bill is 100% counterfeit and it has no collector value. Most fake collectible currency is reproduced to be sold at museums and historical sites. They aren’t made to fool collectors. The paper on reproduction currency is often brittle and brown with a black overprint.
STEP 3 – How Much Is Your Collectible Currency Worth?
If your currency is from The United States and authentic, then you probably want to know how much it is worth. We have literally hundreds of pages on this site to help you determine if your currency is valuable.
If your currency is from a National Bank, then use the National Bank Note Guide
If your currency is from 1928 or newer, then use the Small Size Currency Guide
If your currency was printed between 1861 and 1927, then use the Large Size Currency Guide
If your currency was printed before 1861, then use the Obsolete Currency Guide
If your currency says Confederate States of American, then use the Confederate Currency Guide
If you have made it this far then you will see that we are especially interested in buying national currency and rare small and large size collectible currency. Please send us an email and tell us what you have available: admin@oldcurrencyvalues.com
STEP 4 – Errors and Fancies
Even the most common collectible currency can still have some additional value if it is what collectors call a fancy serial number note or an error note. The concept of the error or misprint is easy to understand and a common term outside and inside the hobby. However, “fancy serial number” is certainly an industry term within the arena of collectible currency. Click on the links above to learn how misprints and serial numbers can affect the value of collectible currency.
STEP 5 – More Information About Collectible Currency
Star note is a term that gets used a lot in the field of collectible currency. We have a full listing of what a star note is here. To sum it up though, star notes were issued much less frequently than non-star notes. If you have a piece of collectible currency from 1929 or older, with a star symbol in the serial number, then there is a good chance that it is valuable.
Mule is another word that gets used a lot in collectible currency. Mules are especially important in some 1928 and 1934 small size currency. Get the full definition of a mule note here.
STEP 6 – Complete Myths About Collectible Currency
If Your Currency Does Not Say “In God We Trust” Then It Is A Misprint – FALSE!
All 1963B One Dollar Bills Signed By Joseph Barr Are Collectible – FALSE!
Series of 1950 $10 Bills With An Upside Down Flag Are Collectible – FALSE!
The Dallas Mint Closed When Kennedy Was Shot – FALSE!
Currency From The San Francisco Mint Is Rare – FALSE!
The Older Currency Is, The More Valuable It Is – FALSE!
The Longer You Hold Currency, The More Valuable It Becomes – FALSE!
The Series Year Is When The Currency Was Printed – FALSE!
All Old Currency Is In Poor Condition – FALSE!
You Should Always Store Collectible Currency In An Old Book – FALSE!