Collecting Paper Money

In Collecting Paper Money you will discover the story of paper money from the earliest Chinese notes, established to avoid carrying heavy cash coins, to interesting contemporary issues. You will learn of emergency siege money, intriguing forgeries, devastating inflations along with wartime and revolutionary issues that left winners and losers. Paper money tells the history of the world: from the elaborately decorative designs, created by some of the finest engravers and artists of the time, through to signatures and depictions of prominent figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Queen Victoria, and Che Guevera.

Paper money can fetch a high price, the largest sum paid to date being over two million dollars for a note, yet there are thousands of attractive notes from all over the world at one or two dollars or even less, putting them well within the reach of the ordinary collector.

This book sets out to introduce the new collector to the fascinating areas of the hobby and gives expert advice on building a collection as well as being a captivating insight into the secrets of the banknote world and its importance in the development of civilisations.

Colin Narbeth founded the International Bank Note Society in 1961. He has, over the past thirty years, written many books and articles on collecting.
Simon Narbeth is an active committee member of the London Chapter of the International Bank Note Society and lectures on paper money of the world.
Colin and his son Simon have a family business in Cecil Court, London, specialising in paper money collecting, of which Simon is the Managing Director.