Notaphily

Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Notaphily shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Notaphily offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Notaphily at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Notaphily? Wrong! If the Notaphily is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Notaphily then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Notaphily? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Notaphily and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Notaphily wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Notaphily then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Notaphily site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Notaphily, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Notaphily, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

Notaphily is the study of paper money or banknotes. A notaphilist is a collector of banknotes, paper money, paper currency or plastic notes.

History It is believed that people have been collecting paper money for as long as it has been in use. However, people started collecting paper money more systematically in the 1940s but the turning point occurred in the 1970s, when notaphily was established as a separate area by collectors.

At the same time, some developed countries such as the United States, Germany and France began publishing their respective national catalogues of paper money, which represented major points of reference literature.

In 1961, The International Banknote Society (IBNS) was formed as an international association of banknote collectors. Nowadays it has thousands of members from around the world. The IBNS regularly publishes the IBNS Journal, the "Newsletter of the IBNS" and regular auctions, lectures and congresses.

The major contributor to this study has been Albert Pick who published some of the earliest catalogues of paper money and through them explained the objective of collecting paper money and the definition of it. Albert Pick is also the author of the capital part of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, which consists of thousands of pages of almost the entire collection of the world paper money that has ever existed and is constantly updated. Almost every note of every country and many special and regional issues are cataloged following a unique format for each entry: NameP number for the banknote edition

So, we have something like: Yugoslavia P-117.

An important aspect of collecting banknotes is the condition of items. Banknotes that haven't been issued and circulated are rated as uncirculated (UNC) and that is the highest classification for a value that a banknote can have. In addition to that, the value for a specific note in the world paper money catalog is listed for UNC condition.

Authentication, grading and cataloging Various third party grading company's (TPG) offer the service of authentication, grading and cataloging of common varieties of paper currency. These TPG's typically use a seventy-point grading scale to describe the note. Additional notations may be made for exceptional paper quality or other varieties.

Following examination, TPG companies typically encapsulate the currency in what is commonly referred to as a "slab." Similar to the issues surrounding the transition that occurred within the coin collecting field many years ago, controversy exists about the need or value of TPG notes. Without having the ability to closely examine and feel the note due to it being sealed inside the slab, many collectors are not comfortable accepting the opinion of others as to the grade and may either elect not to purchase the note or to cut it out of the slab for examination. Additionally, many noted mistakes in grading by third party grading services have been discovered. However, for collectors less adept at grading, purchasing a note in a slab can provide some additional comfort for the owner in justifying the purchase and cost. It also serves to help protect the collector against unethical activities designed to increase the worth of the note by pressing out folds, washing, repairing tears, or other alterations typically viewed as unacceptable thereby lowering the value of the item.

Postal Order collecting Postal order collecting has become a branch of notaphily, especially in England since the 1980's. Some countries, such as Basutoland, the British Somaliland Protectorate, and Northern Rhodesia never issued their own banknotes, but they did issue their own postal orders, however. Great Britain, the Isle of Man, and Northern Ireland also issued Old Age Pension Orders as well as postal orders. These have become collectible in recent years.

Specialties People collect paper money by:

Topic (wildlife, ships, famous people)
Era (Series, date)
Country (native or favourite)
Serial Number
Grade
Varieties caused by major or minor design changes
Replacement or star notes commonly used to replace errors discovered during the printing process.