Have you ever heard about test and commemorative bills and coins? These shiny treasures are a hot topic among collectors. Want to know more about them? Test bills (or banknotes) and coins —also referred to as test notes, test money, or funny money— have become the target of many collectors. Their designs are fantastic, different, …
Polymer banknotes: the future is already here
Whether you are new to this world or not, you may take for granted that banknotes are made of paper and that, when it comes to money, plastic is reserved only for bank cards—neither one nor the other. We are so familiar with using banknotes and coins that, except as a hobby, …
The origins of paper money
The time has come to devote a small space to learn about the history and evolution of banknotes or paper money, which have reached our days. We have already seen in detail the origin of currency and its two periods of splendor in Greece and Rome. On this occasion, we will travel a little further …
Do’s and don’ts in handling coins and banknotes
Some common mistakes could ruin your collection, so it is better to be aware of them before doing something that will devalue your collection forever. Let’s have a look: Generally speaking, antiquity and imperfection is not always a bad condition in the collecting world, but the opposite. In numismatics, in particular, such qualities are …
Coins III: Roman numismatics
As we have seen in previous articles, it has taken centuries of evolution to reach the monetary system we know today. A crucial part of the development of currency was the Classical Greece period, from the 7th century BC to the 1st century BC. Although the first coins were minted in Asia Minor (kingdom of …
Present and future of the notaphily market according to the experts
We have talked to some of the most active influencers within the coins and banknotes collecting scene. Don’t miss their contibutions. JOSÉ ANTONIO CASTELLANOS It is necessary to question whether it is justified that a banknote, just because it is certified, multiplies its price by two, three, or even more. Beyond his job …
Interview with three experienced numismatic collectors
We had the pleasure of talking to Yeray Páramo, José Molina Escribano, Rafa Zahiños, and Javier García-Ortiz Cebeira about their collections, their views on the numismatic market, and they gave us some tips that will be useful to anyone who wants to venture into this hobby. YERAY PÁRAMO Talking for an hour with an experienced …
We interviewed five experts in the field of notaphily to get their insights on the future of banknote collecting
We chatted with 5 experienced banknote collectors about their beginnings, the present and future of collecting or what mistakes they wouldn’t repeat. Interesting, right? FRANCISCO RIBERA An increasing number of counterfeit banknotes are being declined. From Carlet (Valencia, Spain) and popularly known as ‘Paquito,’ he has been a fan of collecting since he was a …
Coins II: Greek numismatics
Although here we will focus on the origin of the currency and the first stage of its evolution, this does not mean that until the birth of the coinage, people did not use precious metals to trade. Not at all. Silver was already used as a currency in Mesopotamia more than a thousand years …
Inside NCV GRADING: origins and mission
Today, we want to use this space to tell you more about us. What are NCV Grading’s origins? Who is behind this project? What technology do we use? What is our goal? During the beginning of 2022, what is now NCV Grading began to take shape. It was a few months ago when we publicly …