ahkai
I do not believe there is such a thing as the best banknotes dealers.😁
Do a Google AI search and you will see some of the largest dealers and below link is all the dealers recorded here. Good luck.
+1
I have been collecting banknotes since 1974 & most of my experiences have been with coin dealers (& mostly at shows). There's a reason for this. Whenever I went into a coin shop I discovered (early on) that I was dealing with a “coin person” who was only mildly interested in banknotes. The reason I figured this out was that every shop I entered, the dealer was only interested in Canada's “sweetheart series.” As time went on, I realized it was a much more fair playing ground to meet dealers at a show (where they were competing against each other) rather than in their shop (where they “held all the cards” & snubbed their noses at what I had to offer). It was only at shows where I felt like I was treated with a grain of respect so I have rarely entered a coin shop after being to a few of them. When I started attending shows there were only 3-5 tables that sold notes & very few women. Then more tables had notes & more women began to enter the business too.
Don Olmstead, the first paper money (banknote) dealer I met coined the sweetheart series term for 1935, the 1937 & the 1954 Devil's Face series. Dealers were only interested in banknotes that coin collectors would buy & those first 3 series fit the bill (sorry for the pun). The Devil's face was “sexy” & had an international reputation (even though tens of millions were released & there were many rarer Modified 1954 varieties). Mr. Olmstead was the only exclusive banknote dealer I have met.
He also said that there were far more US collectors of Canadian paper than Canadian collectors & that he spent a lot of time in the US dealing with dealers there. He noted that most dealers weren't interested in the 1969-79 “Multi-coloured” nor the “Birds” series so he carried a lot of these series (that many other dealers wouldn't touch). I found his advice to ring true every time so I only dealt with other collectors & Don “the don of notes” over the decades. I was fortunate to get to know & learnt a great deal from him (& that dealing in banknotes was Don's P/T 2nd job/not his F/T first job!) Sadly, Don passed away a few years ago and Canada lost a gentle giant in hobby of paper money.
I have won 1 banknote last year from Colonial Acres Coins (who have the odd auction periodically throughout the year). Whether they're “the largest/ best banknote dealers” I have no clue. I do not rate dealers based on their scale (size) & very rarely patronize them (as stated above). I do know, however, after picking up my winning banknote, that they have absolutely nothing on display but a few supplies & that they're locked up like Fort Knox with an armed security guard. I suspect you must make your purchase online, call ahead & arrange to pick up your order b/c I saw next to nothing on display & their cashier cages would suggest as much. I also have dealt with Century Stamp (for supplies) & you must book an appointment with them too. Good luck!
