Banknote Blog

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 5 min read Singapore's Ship Series Banknotes: What Each Note Shows From a wooden junk on the 1 dollar to a bulk carrier on the 10,000, Singapore's third note series tells the story of a port in nine ships. Here is every note, and a closer look at the 5 dollar. Quick Answer Singapore's Ship Series is the country's third series of banknotes, issued from 1984 to 1999 by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore. Each of its nine notes …

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read Found a 1923 German Banknote? How to Identify What You Have These notes still turn up in drawers, albums and family papers. Here is a step-by-step way to work out who issued yours, which issue it belongs to and what its numbers mean. Quick Answer A 1923 German banknote comes from the peak of Germany's hyperinflation, when the mark lost value so fast that new denominations appeared every few weeks. To identify yours, check who is …

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read What Is an Overdate Coin? The 1887/6 Morgan Dollar, Explained A new year stamped over an old one, still visible under a loupe. Here is how overdates happened, how to read the notation, and how to check a coin like the 1887/6 Morgan before you buy. Quick Answer An overdate coin shows one date struck over another, because the die that made it was re-dated. In the 19th century, mints punched a new year over the old date on usable d …

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read First Releases, Early Releases and First Strike: What Coin Labels Really Mean Release designations sit on thousands of slabs, and they record timing, not quality. Here is what each one means at NGC, PCGS and PMG, and what none of them can tell you. Quick Answer First Releases and Early Releases are NGC designations for coins received by NGC or an approved depository within 30 days of a new issue's first release; the two terms ar …

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read Deep Cameo vs Ultra Cameo: What the Proof Coin Labels Mean Two grading services, two names for the strongest contrast a proof coin can show. Here is what Cameo, Deep Cameo and Ultra Cameo mean, how PCGS and NGC define them, and what to check before you buy. Quick Answer Deep Cameo and Ultra Cameo name the same top tier of contrast on a proof coin, from two different graders. PCGS uses Cameo and Deep Cameo (DCAM): deep, even fros …

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read Why Are Costa Rica's Banknotes Different Sizes? The 1,000 Colones and Its Dry Forest Every Costa Rican note is the same height and a different width, by design. Here is why, who is on the red 1,000 colones, what its back shows, and how to tell its series apart. Quick Answer Costa Rica's banknotes are the same height but different widths so that blind and visually impaired people can tell them apart. Since the 2011 to 2012 reform …

Gift Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read Proof, Reverse Proof or Uncirculated? Choosing a Modern Morgan Dollar as a Gift The U.S. Mint now strikes the Morgan dollar in three finishes. Here is how they differ, who each one suits, and what to look for before you wrap one. Quick Answer For most gifts, choose the proof Morgan dollar: it has mirror-like fields and frosted design, comes encapsulated in a presentation box with a certificate of authenticity, and is struck at San Fran …

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read Argentina's 100,000 Pesos Note of 1979 (Pick 308), Explained San Martín on the front, the national mint on the back, and a face value that shrank through three currency changes. Here is the peso ley 100,000, and what one note was worth in every currency that followed. Quick Answer Argentina's 100,000 pesos note is a peso ley note of the Banco Central de la República Argentina, first issued on 1 November 1979, with …

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read Mexico's 500 Pesos Morelos Note (Pick 51): Dates, Design and Grades An independence hero on the front, a neoclassical palace on the back, and decades of dates from the American Bank Note Company. Here is how to read the note, its Pick letters and its PMG grades. Quick Answer Mexico's 500 pesos Pick 51 is a Banco de México note printed by the American Bank Note Company, with a portrait of José María Morelos o …

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read Egypt's 50 Piastres Note: Al-Azhar, Ramesses II and a Comeback Half a pound, two sides more than two thousand years apart, and a note that was retired for a coin and then brought back. Here is the 2017 Egyptian 50 piastres, explained. Quick Answer Egypt's 50 piastres note is worth half an Egyptian pound, because 100 piastres make one pound. The front shows Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo and the back shows Ramesses II, with Arabic on o …