Source
r/papermoney•
whywolf93

Buying rare papermoney in poor conditions - opinions

Hello, I am back to collecting papermoney after some years of losing interest. As a kid, I used to collect whatever I could get my hands on but now I can afford to look around and find interesting offers.

I have always been interested in collecting coins and papermoney because of their historic value. The investment side is really secondary.

Sometimes I stumble on ebay with rare papermoney that is really in a bad condition (whole/stains but no scotch) and I don't know if I should make an offer or not. The quality of course is not good but prices in auction are really low. So, I still wonder if its a good idea to purchase.

Since I don't know any specialized forums and I'm the only one that collects among all the people I know, I ask you, my fellow redditors, what do you think about this.

Thank you very much!

Posted Jul 23, 2018, 1:09 PM UTC

48
blackjack87•

It's up to you and what you prefer. Would you rather have 1 uncirculated note, 3 very fine notes, or 10 rags? Personally I go for the 3 very fine notes

8
at1cad•

Buy quality. Dont buy junk unless it's all you can afford, or you want it for educational purposes. Truly rare pieces (i.e. only one or a couple known) would be an exception.

4
vman81•

That totally depends on your style. I love naturally worn notes ( and coins)

3
enviro-tech•

I haven’t purchased from E-bay for a couple years. The note has to be incredibly rare in my collection. If you plan on flipping bulk lots I would look at auction houses that are reputable. There are numerous and some sites that post multiple auction houses at the same time. Less eyes sometimes means lower values for bulk lots and in some cases you can barter a bit.

3
ice_cube33•

I’ve never been one to be bothered by condition. Personality it adds character which I don’t understand why a lot of people don’t like it. I mean obviously if it’s ripped into shreds then I can see that but a lil character goes a long way to me. Anyone agree?

2
Eradicator77•

I totally agree with you here. Coins are my #1 but I still love buying old notes and would much rather have more decent examples than 5-10 perfect ones. I do however regret buying a rag black eagle note which I believe would turn into a pile of dust if I remove from the holder.

3
Oregonguy1954•

Since you're not into it for the money, buy what you like and enjoy it. I just put together a type set of small-size $5 bills. I know I overpaid for some of them but I wanted a certain grade (mostly XF/AU) and half the fun was the hunt. Now I've assembled all twenty of them and I just like to look. Except at one of them, that I didn't buy in high enough grade. I believe I will replace it soon.

2
Banknoteguy•

I think it depends on what you want. If you're collecting something in particular and don't care as long as its legible, and cant afford mint condition prices, buying circulated might be better. If you just want one of every note from your country and some are rarer than others, you may need to accept a few circulated tofill the gaps. Others may only new/modern colourful and mint condition notes, others under a dollar which are usually mint condition (face value of pennies). I personally have a mix as i like a variety

1