Saor Alba

JT, at one point in a hoard acquisition I had a Series 1902 with the issue date in late 1926 or 1927 - I think it was from Battle Creek or Grand Rapids Michigan - but it didn't otherwise fit any themes in my collection and I did sell it to another collector. Just going on what I have seen it was fairly unusual for a bank to get a charter in the late 1920's. It wasn't so unusual in the early 1930's, but most of those were reorganisational charters for banks that were sequestered after the financial meltdowns then. The Series 1902 and 1902-1908 Nationals were the last notes that were handsigned in the USA, at least in small institutions. Other banks issuing more used rubber stamp signatures, and in the case of the largest banks they had printed signatures. It really is a fascinating area to collect and research.

Yes, as Jeff is pointing out the charter number being 64 denotes the bank as an original charter bank from the Civil War era - curiously there were not a whole lot of banks that survived deep into the 20th century with their original charter number. Any sort of reorganisation etc would result in a new charter number.

I hate it when that happens, because knowing me, I will find a reason to keep them both. Stuff checks in but not out.

Deadpoint, there are some of us that collect Nationals by the bank, the type, the signatures, the dates issued etc. For me I collect specifically three locations in the USA. I have most of the known notes from a small Missouri city. Here is my most recent acquisition from the FUN Auction the other night: The post Civil War era state, municipal and especially commercially issued notes are becoming quite a little specialist pursuit of mine lately. I have numerous examples from the South now, and one very rare and elusive one from deep in the North.

I can only answer for later on, but 3 and 5 rubles were not a lot of money when the economy was in transition while I was there. It was sort of crazy, food was a fixed price - inexpensive and very affordable, but you had to be able to find it and in quantity. Other things started being priced at market prices like clothing etc, so then became very very expensive. Very soon most people were wiped out of their meager savings - and then after the USSR and new currencies were wiped out again so that people in the know don't keep their money local or in rubles or whatever currency now. I remember leaving in August 1991 and turning in the ruble notes I had, and guess what - they would not convert them to hard currency or something I was thinking I might get - only into those 5 ruble coins. At the time I didn't care for them, but now I am glad I have whole bunch of the "Sobor" series coins.

Back in the day, collecting was not really considered good social behaviour but a lot of people did it and keep quite about it. I was collecting the Tsarist coins, but they were hard to find and not too good to show off that you had them. In the USA there are certain areas of collecting that well, you don't talk about much either.

They really didn't circulate a lot - there was a ruble note from the treasury that was seen in circulation much more than the coin. I never saw ruble coins in circulation, only 1-50 kopeks. Very occasionally in the last days of the USSR you could get the base metal commemoratives for face value at some banks.

A bumper haul: A game token "No Cash Value" Cyprus 50 mils 1955 Ghana 50 Pesewas 2007 Kuwait 10 fils 1995 Mexico 50 Pesos 1987 - 2 examples Spain 25 Pesetas 1975 (79) Switzerland 20 Rappen 2008 Switzerland 1/2 Frank 1969 Turkey 25 Kurus 1960 These are from one of my bank's coin machines, they save the rejects for me from commercial deposits.

63c Canadian including 3 cent coins, 1 5 cent coin, 3 10 cent coins, and a 25 cent coin. And some amusement token for video games.

Sort of circulation find, when I went into my one bank yesterday to drop off my teller's hockey tickets(gift for being so good about ordering coin boxes) she had a 1946 Roosie waiting for me. She had gotten it in a deposit, just seeing the edge when she put it in her tray. She thought it was Canadian and she was going to take it out and put it into the drawer - they send the Canadian stuff away. So she picked it up and cast it into the drawer and noticed FDR, whoops, he is not a Canadian. Gosh, it pays to have good relationships with your bank's tellers. Especially those vault tellers.

I have been finding lots of onesies twosies of Canadian, but nothing too exciting.

I search $500-$800 a week lately. Been doing good on silvers, but Buffalos were getting scarcer than hen's teeth until I found a dateless this morning. But the best find of all was the FR-2 1890 Liberty. Just the outline of the Liberty and the date on the coin but a cool 122 year old find. Also found a Swiss 20 Rappen from 2008 in one of the rolls.

So far save one example, I have been able to resist, but I could bend if the Zofingen example were to be offered. I do like the Swiss misses. As for Nazi stuff in Switzerland, it never really caught on there. It did catch on a bit more in Austria - primarily because though they were the minority they were also the loudmouths. I don't remember seeing any Nazi propaganda or graffiti anywhere in W. Europe. But you do see it from time to time in Ukraine, which is unbelievable.

I often wonder if my 17 yr old daughter has some mystical powers over money. A few weeks ago and higher up in this thread she got a 1929-S cent. Today while buying up more clothes she got a 1929 cent. Up to a few years ago she collected, now she just wants the reward from me for her finds.

Eww, I need to get one of those for my girly note collection

I have found 1p coins with the new design on them on the ground at the Boryspil airport - which seems to be a pretty good place for picking up foreign coins littering the ground. Even found USA, Russian, Euros etc.

Curiously I turn up 5p as dimes, 20p as nickels - even in bank wrapped rolls.

Dreamflight, it is a fantasy piece. There is no resident population there anyway. This morning some rusted out Spanish 50 centimos from the 1960s with that fascist Franco guy on the front.

1794

Yesterday - 2 Mexican 50 Pesos coins 1 Mexican 500 Peso coin 4 Canadian Dimes 1 Canadian Quarter 1 USA'ian Quarter 1 USA'ian Dime 1 E. Caribbean States 25 Cents 1 Singapore 10 cents 1 Belizean 5 cent coin dated 2003. The last coin for me was the coolest, it has QEII on it, but the same portrait has been used since back in the British Honduras days - a portrait from the 1950's - seemingly HRH doesn't age on Belizean coins.

Indeed that was how they sold them, but in reality the dollar denominated notes were for the Malaysian theatre, and Singapore. Where they did use their own dollar.

The guy on the 2 cedis was either a standalone type, or he had really bad gas.

I did a show with my two teenage daughters(my KGB minders), I bought something I will do a write up on and image. Another Coinpeople inspired pursuit - medals.

This was sort of a crazy find, a dime that had been rotated in a dryer drum for several months and had upset rims, and three Jordanian coins - I could only identify them from the picture of King Hussein, they are dated 1991(2) and 1994. After looking at them more closely I can identify them as 5 Qirsh coins - they are larger than a quarter and worth about 8 cents each. First time I have ever seen coins from Jordan, and I wonder how they got here.

Halves are good when I find stuff that has been lying around for awhile. But lots of people check them so there are many many picked over rolls that are unmarked. Quarters I don't bother with. I will probably do the dimes just seasonally, now is a better time with Christmas. For the most part I will stick to nickels, I do find silver enough to make it sustainable. The Buffalos, the occasional Liberties etc are a bonus. I started doing the dimes after I found a silver dime in the change while doing the book faire at my daughter's school. I have found a total of 15 of them doing dime searches. But it seems like more of a pain because they are smaller coins and the finds usually do not stick out like sore thumbs like the others. One of the dimes yesterday I could tell by the colour that it was silver, but the rest of them I had to check the edges. So in summary, I do not think I will be able to complete my silver Roosevelt dime Whitman folder from circulation. Just not enough finds.