chinnotes

I, too, know nothing about the box. But what I know for sure: the banknote is fake! 5 Million CGU in 1930! The highest note idated 1930 was 500 GCU!. Erwin

The picture you give is not very clear, but I can say the following: This is clearly Chinese. Not Japanese. 奏辦湖廣公債票 (in modern characters it would be written as 奏办湖广票) 湖 = hú refers to 湖南 (Húnán Province) 廣 =guǎng refers to 廣東 (Guǎngdōng Province) 公债 = public debt, 公債票 = bond. = Húnán - Bond, or Bond issued by the provinces of Húnán and Guǎngdōng. The amount is 100 Liang (in English usually called “Tael”), It is expressively said that the silver standard to which the 100 Liang refer is the so-called Kùpíng silver standard. The bond bears a date: 15.5. first year of Xuāntǒng， this is1.5.1909. The red square seal is written in old seal script. I can read the characters: 湖廣官錢總局之圖章 = seal of the official money bureau of Húnán and Guǎngdōng. Erwin

yes, this is really practice money. There are two different types of practice money. One type ist just for practicing counting money. They do not look like foreign paper money. Many banks have practice money of their ow. About 15 years ago I personally saw bank people who were trained to count banknotes very fast. Amother type of practice money look like real notes. I happen to have a few of such notes (Deutsch mark, British Pound, US Dollars, etc.). They are used to practice changing money (Renminbi to US $ and vice versa, for instance). Erwin

If it is lithographed it is fake. If it is not lithographed, it may be fake. The overall impression -without having the note in my hands- lets me think this is a modern fake produced to deceive the collector. Erwin

This is an unissued remainder (date not filled in, no serial no., no seals) of a 3000 Wen or 3000 Cash note,to be issued in Republican times by a private company called Dejuxiang. This company was located in Jimo, Shandong Province. The notes were printed in Yantai (also called Chefoo), by a printing firm called Donghuayu. A 4000 Wen note also exists.

This note is genuine, but not very rare. Binjiang ("Pinkiang") is the same city as Haerbin (Harbin). In my 12 volume catalog on Chinese emergency notes 1911-1949 the issuer is BIN-0040. The note was printed by Molin printing factory in Binjiang/Haerbin. Erwin

In my opinion all three notes are fakes... In China these fakes cost one US $ a piece...if genuine they cost hundreds of dollars each...At the coin show in Valkenburg, Holland, I saw thick bundles of these...some people there sold these notes as fakes, others said, they don't know, can't guarantee... and some people said, they are 100% genuine. Erwin

In my opinion these two are fake notes. For instance the 1 yuan note: at botton you find the Chinese date, and some of the characters are not very complete, the best example is the fourth character from right, 國, the upper left corner of this character is "open". The same default shows the 3rd character from right, 民. Also the other note has some flaws, mainly in the design of the pavilion at left. The fake Chinese notes are becoming better and better, there exist now fakes you cannot recognise as such from a scan. Even if you have the note in your hand, you often are in doubt... Erwin

sorry for double posting

There exist many more types of checks etc of this "Bank of Prosperity, in USA as well as in New Zwealand. One example you can senn here: http://expreshletters.blogspot.de/2012/05/bank-of-prosperity-1906.html Erwin

They are P.S425 (South Russia), but someone has altered "10.000" to "100.000". Erwin

This note is rare, but not very rare. Sometimes the note can be found in auctions. One piece –much better looking than yours, but repaired- was in an auction of Cortrie, Germany, Dec. 2010. Starting price 1600 Euros. I believe the piece did not sell. The same piece was in another auction of Cortrie, Oct. 2012, starting price 900 €. Another picture of the note you may find here: http://www.collectweb.nl/item/51938/5814 There is a book on the history of the bank: “Die Rigaer Börsenbank 1864-1914…..”. Issued in 1914 by the Börsenbank itself, commemorating 50 years of the bank. I do not have this book as –although a dealer in worldbanknotes- I myself collect only Chinese notes. This book is written in German, and right now happens to be available at AbeBooks.de Erwin

A nice note with horses and pigs on front is Peru P.S381, Banco de Tacna, 1870's issue, 1/2 Sol. I have no note at hand, but you can see a picture here: http://www.banknote.ws/COLLECTION/countries/AME/PER/PERS0381.htm Erwin

5 Euro notes (ant other denomintions) without hologram are sometimes offered on ebay. In most, if not all cases, however, the hologram had been removed, either mechanically or chemically. I am not a collector of Euro notes but I understand that collectors are reluctant to pay a substantial premium on notes without hologram, because it is extremely difficult to know whether the hologram was originally missing or later removed. Erwin

The Syrian 2000 pound note with Assad is a fake! Such a note was never issued... Erwin