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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,252 |
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New Member
Australia
30 Posts |
I'm slightly confused about how the banknote serial prefixes work.
I know that the first letter is different, but does the second letter range from A to Z or does it stop at a particular letter and move on to BA, BB, etc? I searched up a random code beginning with AZ onto a banknote serial checker, but it didn't come up with anything. Any help?
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Valued Member
Australia
181 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2180 Posts |
Yeah the second letter is almost always A to M, except for some test notes in 1996 and 1997.
I suppose the Reserve Bank reserved those prefixes just in case.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2582 Posts |
Quote:
I know that the first letter is different, but does the second letter range from A to Z or does it stop at a particular letter and move on to BA, BB, etc? I searched up a random code beginning with AZ onto a banknote serial checker, but it didn't come up with anything. Any help? -Great question @amaturerollcoins & one I have been working on for the last 6 years or more. The general rule of thumb is AA22, AB22, AC22, etc using up a preset list of letters until transitioning to BA22, BB22, BC22, etc. The prefix includes the last 2 numbers of the year the note was printed so the examples I have provided are examples if a new series were started this year (2022). However, RBA has been issuing notes from 2020 so notes go from AA20 to EJ20 for the $5 (etc). Generally the prefixes carry on from years before & the year notes printed change. The signatures (Governors/Secretary to Treasurer) may be changed (newly appointed) while the prefix letters change. That is why 1 prefix (per denomination) may change & be short (& those are the ones collectors go for). For example, if you SELECT THE YEAR: 2002 on the RBA site, you will see that the McFarlane-Henry prefixes start at BA02 & end at EA02. If you go on the Coins And Australia site, you'll see that the BA02 & EA02 have extra premiums: (CCF won't allow me to post the Coins and Australia site but you can find it on google) I have used the BNM (Bank Note Museum) also for a guide: http://www.banknote.ws/COLLECTION/c...%20AUSTRALIACoins And Australia's site also has a guide for pre-decimal too (just google it). |
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Pillar of the Community
 Australia
2569 Posts |
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-Great question @amaturerollcoins Great answer@walk2dwater!. and an observation...so say for the year 2020, you could in theory find a Lowe/Kennedy $5, $20, $50 and $100 note that have the identical Prefix and serial number, for instance they could all be AA 20 0202020. Would such a set of notes with the same prefix and numbers command a premium? The Ox moves slowly, but the Earth is patient.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2180 Posts |
It would be possible ttkoo but I've never seen such a set advertised.
I think for collector sets with such combinations have been sold in the past but not since the 1990s as far as I remember.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2569 Posts |
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It would be possible ttkoo but I've never seen such a set advertised. And what would be the odds of finding them....  Well I guess I'll keep my eyes open just in case! The Ox moves slowly, but the Earth is patient.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2582 Posts |
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.so say for the year 2020, you could in theory find a Lowe/Kennedy $5, $20, $50 and $100 note that have the identical Prefix and serial number, for instance they could all be AA 20 0202020. -Provided # weren't below 5361359 for the $50 (if you wanted the signatures to match too). I have seen pairs of matched numbers like that for sale (& premium) but they were random #, not special 2 digit radars like 0202020. I've seen a few sets from GB too (so they must follow a similar system). It is interesting to see that the last $10 was printed in 2017 (like Canada our Tens are not as popular as other denominations & only trickle out). Also one doesn't have to go too far back to find some interesting short change-over tough prefixes. 2018:$5 EJ up to 0622404 with Lowe/Fraser signature combo 2019$5 EJ up to 0218163 with Lowe/Kennedy signature combo (would be nice to get EJ18 0202020 & EJ19 0202020 $5.00!  ) $20 EA up to 0189258 with Lowe/Fraser $20EA from 0200005 to 3470047 with Lowe/Gaetjens (I remember looking for the $20 last year but every seller wanting tomorrow's prices for one on ebay) |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2180 Posts |
There was an article in the lastest Coin and Banknote magazine and most polymer notes (ignoring prefixes) are reasonably common.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2582 Posts |
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There was an article in the lastest Coin and Banknote magazine and most polymer notes (ignoring prefixes) are reasonably common. - Ignoring prefixes is like ignoring metal content in a coin. Serial number, prefix & signatures make the note! They are as important (& to some more important) than condition or grade. -I have seen similar comments by dealers of modern Canadian coins/banknotes who dismiss modern polymer rarities probably b/c they don't perceive that they sell (well enough for them). There are a couple short prefixes (2011 $5 HAE, 2010 $20 AUB) from the Journey series that are very scarce but the $10 Macklem-Carney FTH, $20 BSW, $50 AMK are next to impossible to find. And the dealers never carry them just b/c they're not interested in modern banknotes (& cannot be bothered to memorize the scarce prefixes). |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,252 |
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Posted 07/21/2022 10:27 pm
