I don't specialize in commemoratives but I have a weak spot for them. The problem with commemoratives (IMO) is that even non-collectors often squirrel many away in UNC so they never become that valuable (unless they're old or a high denomination). This is what happened with Canada's second 1867-1967 $1.00 (with the same centennial dates as serial numbers). Since there was a larger than usual # issued (15M instead of 10M) too many were saved & they remain quite common even 50 years later.
The ultimate commemorative for me would be the Bank of Canada's 1935 $25 (since it was a fortune in 1935 & few could afford to keep one) & here's an image of the French 1935 $25. It acknowledges the 25th anniversary of King George V's time on the throne. That, in my mind, would be a definite trophy note in VF30 EPQ or better & is something I can dream about attaining some day.
For now, I will have to settle for the 5 Colones (1975/P-247) below which celebrates 25 years of the Costa Rican Central Bank.
I like the back portrait of this common P-236 5 Colones note &.would also like to get the other (1971/P-241) commemorative from this series.
A more modern favourite is the $10 (Bicentennial of settlement) from Australia (P-49 which also happens to be their first polymer):
And here's a couple favourites from the Philippines (the land of commemoratives so not sure what they commemorate) but they also happen to be replacements (which makes them a bit tougher than the regular commemoratives).
You have some nice commemorative notes, especially the Costa Rica one. When you look at the back of the note, especially the lady in red is so eye catching.
I do agree with you on those expensive ones. Imagine back in 1935, C$25 must be a fortune to keep, and must be more that a month wages for many ordinary people too. Imagine keeping one, and doing nothing at home, unless you are really loaded. My question, is why would the bank released such a high value note for an important celebration when hardly anyone can afford one.
There are few rare ones, and one of them are The Central bank of China P180 and 180A $5 and $10 anniversary of Dr Sun Yat Sen death. And not to mention Thailand P106 500000 baht 2000 Royal golden wedding anniversary.
The reason I asked the question is that I just want to know if anyone here specialised in this are of collections, and perhaps exchange some knowledge on this topic. I sometime see new issues reported as commemorative notes, even with not overprints text, and then on some other websites for the same note says it is not.
My question, is why would the bank released such a high value note for an important celebration when hardly anyone can afford one.
-I don't think much thought was put into it (in terms of selecting a high denomination) since few people collected coins (let alone banknotes) back then. Plus, Governor J.A.C Osborne was on loan from the Bank of England. The senior deputy was G. F. Towers from the Royal Bank of Canada. These were wealthy executives who would have been living high in mansions & would have likely had rather elitist perspectives. Twenty Five Dollars wouldn't have been that much to them but it was more about acknowledging the King's ascension to the crown rather than anything else.
Also this was during the Great Depression (1929-1939) so yes, $25 would have gone a long way back then in when not only wages were low, but the dollar had much more buying power. But again, they were hardly thinking about the banknote being a collectible. They were competing with Canada's powerful Chartered banks (who were printing money) & making plans to replace the many types of currency seen back then.
There are few rare ones, and one of them are The Central bank of China P180 and 180A $5 and $10 anniversary of Dr Sun Yat Sen death. And not to mention Thailand P106 500000 baht 2000 Royal golden wedding anniversary.
I just checked that P-180 from 1923 & I saw that it has “Not for Circulation” printed on the back lower border. That would mean that the note was sold/distributed more like a souvenir (rather than being issued by the Central bank) & should be in good condition (if properly preserved) & the high denomination would not have been such a factor. The release must have been in very small numbers & were not meant for the average citizen (but they remind me of specimens & I'm not a fan of specimens).
Likewise, the P-106 Royal wedding commemorative is a lot like non-circulating commemorative coins. It would have not been meant for circulation (also large format like P-190 100,000 Pesos from the Philippines) or for the average citizen & use in circulation. At least non-circulating coins typically have some precious metal value (whereas the banknote does not) & can be sold immediately for a small loss.
When I was visiting the Philippines, I read that there were a lot of Filipinos trying to cash in their 2000 Pesos (P-189c) which was not meant to be legal tender so it created quite a stir in the media (that the note was simply an elaborate souvenir). I am not a big fan of commemorative souvenir notes that weren't meant for circulation (& in fact have no value) since they all should be “super GEMS” but most are not & their release are simply a means to raise funds for the government treasury. Whenever I told the average Filipino that I liked their banknotes they told me about the bad 2000 Pesos with a warning “don't buy!” It has a terrible reputation.
I would be surprised if the collector community would go for souvenir commemoratives (that have no value) & am surprised that Chinese collectors go for P-180 (except that it is nearly a century old, honours a medical celebrity & probably is one the first of its kind).
not a specialist by any means but commemoratives do catch my eye every once in awhile. Such as the Russia World Cup 100R, Mexico's Bicentennial $200, and Canada's Confederation $1.
I don't specialize in commemoratives but I have a weak spot for them. The problem with commemoratives (IMO) is that even non-collectors often squirrel many away in UNC so they never become that valuable (unless they're old or a high denomination). This is what happened with Canada's second 1867-1967 $1.00 (with the same centennial dates as serial numbers). Since there was a larger than usual # issued (15M instead of 10M) too many were saved & they remain quite common even 50 years later.
The ultimate commemorative for me would be the Bank of Canada's 1935 $25 (since it was a fortune in 1935 & few could afford to keep one) & here's an image of the French 1935 $25. It acknowledges the 25th anniversary of King George V's time on the throne. That, in my mind, would be a definite trophy note in VF30 EPQ or better & is something I can dream about attaining some day.
For now, I will have to settle for the 5 Colones (1975/P-247) below which celebrates 25 years of the Costa Rican Central Bank.
I like the back portrait of this common P-236 5 Colones note &.would also like to get the other (1971/P-241) commemorative from this series.
A more modern favourite is the $10 (Bicentennial of settlement) from Australia (P-49 which also happens to be their first polymer):
And here's a couple favourites from the Philippines (the land of commemoratives so not sure what they commemorate) but they also happen to be replacements (which makes them a bit tougher than the regular commemoratives).
The two Philippine commemorative banknotes you've shown commemorates the Canonization of St. Pedro Calungsod (P5) and the Centenary of the University of the Philippines College of Law in Quezon City (P100). Nice that you found commemorative star notes; they're quite rare and expensive here in the Philippines. Cool banknotes btw and thanks for sharing.
The two Philippine commemorative banknotes you've shown commemorates the Canonization of St. Pedro Calungsod (P5) and the Centenary of the University of the Philippines College of Law in Quezon City (P100). Nice that you found commemorative star notes; they're quite rare and expensive here in the Philippines. Cool banknotes btw and thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
I stayed in a seaside village about a 5 hour drive from Manilla in 2019. We also visited Cebu & Palawan Islands (whale sharks & El Nido), so I got a good feel for the natural beauty & friendly Filipino hospitality in our month there.
I did not find the notes I posted but purchased them. Sadly, almost all the currency that passed through my hands was very worn out & circulated. I got 2 replacements but they were worn out 1000 Pesos notes & just not collectible in my eyes (but better spent). As soon as I got back I sourced a seller from the capital but he over graded & I later found a better seller from Singapore who sold me higher graded notes for very reasonable BIN prices (IMO). I was so glad we got to visit this beautiful island nation before the pandemic hit (& changed everything)!
Here's a couple more:
P-214 200 Pesos from my first seller (this not has no issues but many other he sold me as 'UNC' were poorly handled & AU at best):
(While departing & with a heavy heart I received my first 200 Pesos: and did not know they even existed! So when I got home I made sure that I would buy a nice UNC 200 Pesos & the commemorative above was my first purchase).
P-212B came from my favourite 2nd seller (who sold me the College of Law commemorative replacement, I also bought this low # regular issue commemorative:
And from another world seller I picked up this 2 Pesos (P-166) which commemorates a visit from the Pope:
The two Philippine commemorative banknotes you've shown commemorates the Canonization of St. Pedro Calungsod (P5) and the Centenary of the University of the Philippines College of Law in Quezon City (P100). Nice that you found commemorative star notes; they're quite rare and expensive here in the Philippines. Cool banknotes btw and thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
I stayed in a seaside village about a 5 hour drive from Manilla in 2019. We also visited Cebu & Palawan Islands (whale sharks & El Nido), so I got a good feel for the natural beauty & friendly Filipino hospitality in our month there.
I did not find the notes I posted but purchased them. Sadly, almost all the currency that passed through my hands was very worn out & circulated. I got 2 replacements but they were worn out 1000 Pesos notes & just not collectible in my eyes (but better spent). As soon as I got back I sourced a seller from the capital but he over graded & I later found a better seller from Singapore who sold me higher graded notes for very reasonable BIN prices (IMO). I was so glad we got to visit this beautiful island nation before the pandemic hit (& changed everything)!
Here's a couple more:
P-214 200 Pesos from my first seller (this not has no issues but many other he sold me as 'UNC' were poorly handled & AU at best):
(While departing & with a heavy heart I received my first 200 Pesos: and did not know they even existed! So when I got home I made sure that I would buy a nice UNC 200 Pesos & the commemorative above was my first purchase).
P-212B came from my favourite 2nd seller (who sold me the College of Law commemorative replacement, I also bought this low # regular issue commemorative:
And from another world seller I picked up this 2 Pesos (P-166) which commemorates a visit from the Pope:
Thanks for sharing these again! Nice that you had a fantastic time during your vaccation here in my country.
The 200 Pesos note is considered to be the $2 bill of the east due to it's rarity, but just like the US$2 bill, they're just rarely used by the public and are printed every year in millions. The 200 pesos banknote existed way back during Spanish Philippines and US Philippines and we stopped using them during the mid 50s. They brought them back in the 2000s for some reason.
The current 200 pesos banknote is one of my favorites to collect because I rarely get my hands on one and I like the design especially the reverse with a Tarsier.
I don't hoard them like crazy, but I collect every design change they made with the current design, I'm currently missing one which is the one with the tactile marks on the side. Hope to see one soon in the wild.
I did a video on some of the Philippine overprints. I absolutely love commemorative banknotes! I document them as such and have room for them in my banknote collection. I remember when I first bought the oversize 2000 piso commemorative of the Philippines. I got a great price for it. Then they demonitized it. I still would have wanted it. Then I noticed they also had a much smaller size 2000 piso note with a similar design. It was supposed to have been issued for circulation, but I guess with it depicting a President that they ran out of office that it languished in storage. They were going to destroy them, but instead marketed them for educational and collecting purposes. The small size was never legal tender. The large size was, but is no longer. I have them both. I love them.
My favorite commemorative banknote is the Jersey 100 pound issued for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
There are some websites out there that fully detail commemorative banknotes.
I wonder that the governments of the world do not issue more. They do so much with circulating commemorative coins. They would make much more seigniorage from low value commemorative notes then they ever would from low value or even high value commemorative coins…
Library Media Specialist, columnist, collector, and gardener...
The current 200 pesos banknote is one of my favorites to collect because I rarely get my hands on one and I like the design especially the reverse with a Tarsier.
That's the note I got in my change when leaving the Clarke airport.
The 200 pesos banknote existed way back during Spanish Philippines and US Philippines and we stopped using them during the mid 50s.
I wonder that the governments of the world do not issue more.
I've heard that sentiment before. Here's the Bank of Canada $10 which celebrated 150 years in 2017:
