New to group

Hi everybody,

I thought I'd introduce myself, I just started collecting banknotes. So far I managed to get:

North Korean

Belarusian

Congo 

Venezuelan 

Lebanon

I feel there is so much to hear about a banknote and the culture and story behind it. 

Thought, Id say hello

Hi, and welcome to numista :)

Welcome!

We are glad to have you here. Let us know if you need any help! :D

Daniel

Welcome to this “slippery slope” rabbit hole! 🤣

Hi there,

Always nice to say hello to a new hobbies. Hope you find it fun & interesting. Notes are always fascinating as the larger space (compared to coins or stamps) really allows for so much detail.

I think the only words of advice I can give you are to choose your field of interest carefully. It can be collecting one from every nation, or every value within a single nation, or even a theme (like mythology from around the world),  or whatever you want. Doesn't matter, it's your collection.

Just don't try to collect everything from everywhere. There's too many!

It's fine not to know yet, but start with the cheaper things until you know what is your primary focus. 🙂

Other than that, enjoy yourself. Any queries, do just let us know. Someone will get back to you eventually.

My advice:

I started collecting (blindly) when I was a kid with a paper route. It took me 20 years to buy a used catalogue. Before that, I went to the Reference section of our library & copied some of the pricing tables (for approx book values). Once I got my own Charlton catalogue, I read it from cover to cover.  Information is powerful. So get to know the terms (if you can). There's a lot of free online sources of info including this Notable Terms page I put together (& still add from time to time). Then keep active: don't think about collecting as if it EQUALS acquiring.  There's so much more to it (& if you look at it with a sense of discipline- it can be rewarding). Think of it as an education with the more time invested, the better.

Get to know what you will collect & won't collect.  I think it is critical to decide what you won't go for (draw a line in the sand that you won't start collecting fantasy notes, reproductions, etc) b/c you need to keep a budget otherwise the hobby can get too expensive (fast). I really dislike the social media phenomenon that encourages collectors to buy one note from each country.  It encourages folks to go for volume rather quality (plus many other missteps which encourages a very generalized/half hazard approach).  Remember that you should put away a little bit of $ towards proper currency sleeves & albums. (They cost you something so you need to keep them in good shape).  If you just keep your notes in an envelope you won't enjoy them the same.  Be careful who you take advice from (esp on social media!)

Think “quality over quantity” & keep active. You learn so much more when you invest a bit of time researching, learning & getting prepared to make a purchase rather than impulse buying.  I went on many sites & lurked to just check out other collector's opinions, other's auction results. I went on some auction sites just to see what things were selling for. I spent 5 years learning about World currency before I hit the BUY/BID button. You may feel more comfortable deciding what you want & acquiring sooner (but never feel pressured into buying anything).  The more selective you become- the better.

Have fun on your journey!