Establishing Your Banknote Collection

There are a number of ways to begin your collection. With such a long history of banknotes to choose from, it’s usually best to narrow your field of interest. For instance, you could begin by collecting:

• notes from a particular era (i.e. pre-federation or pre-decimal)
• notes from particular historical contexts (i.e. WW1 notes, Goldrush notes)
• notes from a particular country
• notes categorized by their features (holograms, security insertion strips etc…)
• notes made from particular materials
• particular signatures
• specific ranges or types of serial numbers

Buying for Passion or Profit?

It should be kept in mind that there are distinct differences between collection and investment portfolios.  A collection portfolio is usually made up of notes of varying grades, connected on a thematic level.  Typically the notes tell a story and as such, emphasis is placed on accumulating sets of notes.

Investment portfolios, on the other hand, are assembled with the intention of making the highest profit over the medium to long term. An investor chooses banknotes for their rarity, and quality (or grading) is always of paramount importance. Pristine or “uncirculated” notes are highly sought after because they attract premium prices and are ultimately more saleable.