INSIDER 29 | SPECIAL FEATURES | Collecting ‘Lucky’ ‘Number Notes in Asia
Jan 24 2018

By Kelvin Cheung

Lucky number banknotes have always been a popular collecting theme in the Far East. When I started to collect banknotes in earnest in the early 2000’s I always sought them out as a priority. The first thing all burgeoning collectors must be clear on is what defines a ‘lucky’ number?

Sweden and Europe's First Banknote
Nov 21 2016

The earliest European banknote most collectors will ever see was issued in Sweden in 1666, a happy coincidence given the anniversary we are now celebrating. The story of Europe's first banknote actually goes back even earlier and Sweden can make a technical claim to being the first country in the world to issue bank notes, on the grounds that the paper money issued in China from the 11th to 13th centuries was issued not by a bank but by the Emperor's treasury, as a substitute for cumbersome qua...

National Treasure: Barnaby Faull
Jul 31 2012

Country Gentleman's Association Magazine Feature:   A Gentleman of Note Established in 1666 Spink of London have long been associated with the trade in ancient and rare coins. They also deal in the world's most desirable banknotes under the knowledgeable eye of Barnaby Faull If you should come across an eighteenth century Bank of England banknote in the back of an old drawer somewhere, you will be pleased to hear that the Bank will still give you the note's face value in return...

The David Kirch Collection
May 01 2012

Of English Provincial Banknotes By Roger Outing English provincial banknotes offer a unique and fascinating insight into the historical development of the English banking system. The early days of the London goldsmith-bankers during the 1650's; the explosive expansion of provincial private bankers during the early 1800's; the establishment of the first joint stock banks in the 1830s'; the final consolidation of the "Big Five" banks in the 1920's, these can all be recorded in the wide range ba...

Santa Claus Wasn’t Always Seen as a Symbol of Charity and Generosity...
Dec 04 2011

By Stephen Goldsmith   Santa Claus once appeared on bank notes as a universally accepted symbol of charity and generosity, but did you know that once upon a time there was a five shilling fine for celebrating Christmas? During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress authorized the printing of the first paper money to be issued by a centralized American government. When the first notes were issued, they were worth their equivalent in Spanish Milled Dollars. By the time the Revolu...

HC SVNT DRACONES
Nov 18 2011

By Dr. K.A. Rodgers Anyone who thumbed through the catalogue of Spink's recent Hong Kong sale would have observed that pre-republic Chinese paper money is replete with dragons, particularly issues of the Imperial dynasties. There is an excellent reason for this. Dragons were fully paid-up members of the Chinese animal pantheon from the beginning. Their ancestor toed the starting line of the Great Race conducted by the August Personage of Jade to determine the order of animals in the Lu...

Banknotes For The Raj
Jun 08 2011

By Dr. K. A. Rodgers  Victoria, Empress of India. Image by Bassano, ex Wikimedia Commons. Paper money tells something of a nation's story. Successive issues provide commentary on a country's evolution. The tale told is by no means restricted to economics. Different note issues reflect changing political circumstances and societal attitudes. They may echo triumphs or disasters, conquests or defeats, strife or stability. It is this way with the issues of India and of British In...

Notes For British Palestine
Sep 11 2010

By Dr. K.A. Rodgers Few tracts of real estate on our planet engender such intensity of emotions as does Palestine. For millennia the land has consumed hearts, minds - and bodies. It is seldom out of the news these days. Little wonder then, that objects that evoke its history are in demand, more so when they carry potent symbols of the region's past. For many, the banknotes issued during the British Mandate in the early twentieth century epitomize the land and i...