How Many Nations Do You Own

I don't want to frighten anyone, but there were approximately 1900 towns/ regions in Germany that issued notgeld (ca) 1917-1923. Perhaps surprisingly, you can get examples from most places for not much. Add to this the approximately 500 German locations that issued metal notgeld, and 1200 distinct government entities (as classified by some OFEC groups), and we can get some formidable totals.

While Germany is the clear "winner" in terms of number of places, France had 200 places that issued coins.

@Dearborn Yes, I do have a list. Please PM and I can send it to you.

For those interested in emergency money, there is a book by Courtney L. Coffing "A guide and checklist of World Notgeld 194-1947", published in 1988 by krause publications.

For every place that issued any, it lists the type, paper, metal, private or municipal, etc. issued. Not a catalogue as such, not illustrated, but indicates what is out there. There is also an extensive bibliography.

As of right now, I have 132 countries represented in my world paper money collection. I consider all the notgeld I have (which is not a great deal) as part of their respective countries.

One of my 2022 collecting goals is to expand my collection by 100 world notes, so that number should go up by a few.



Would love to see that! I don't even have 1 Irish note yet (from either Northern Ireland or RoI). Actually, I might, but it would be a well-circulated example in an envelope of world money that I received from a relative. I try to collect as CU as possible, so those wouldn't count for me.

Since the Krause/Pick system is defunct, what are people using instead?

As far as quoting goes, there is a button in the "Full Reply" interface that you can use to automatically insert quote tags around selected text, but you still have to copy/paste the text you want to quote first. 90% of the time I use the Quick Reply so am used to typing the quote tags.

@w2dw, I very much appreciate your sentiment and bow to your expertise. However, I believe we've had this conversation previously -- and have to respectfully disagre with you. I love all the notes I have, and want more. Even if they are $1 notes.

I understand that tastes and collections mature. As my collection grows, some of the notes I add will eclipse earlier ones...but that doesn't make any of the older ones less cool.

As we always say, collect what you like!

- Yes, I think we've probably discussed this before & as I wrote earlier, I respect all types of collectors. I believe you have a pretty good handle on how collectors' sets, tastes & goals evolve over time. I don't want to put the horse before the cart but simply encourage best practices & I am well aware there are all types of collectors out there. It's what makes numismatics so interesting.

Many of us enter this hobby from different angles or for various reasons. It could be from handling an enormous amount of change or from extensive travels. Some lucky individuals have inherited collections from their relatives. To everyone I say this: get organized. Once collectors identify what they have, their journey begins. It either "takes off (a)" lays dormant(b) or there's a mixture of both(c). Usually, for those collections that remain dormant- they stay like that- a hoard (or mix) of numismatic items & the sad thing is that some of these become ruined due to improper storage.

I speak from personal experience (not coins or banknotes but of "stuff.") My dad was an obsessive hoarder & he collected just about anything. It took me (& a little help from my siblings) years to clean up & dispense the tools, bottle, nuts and bolts, fishing rods, etc, etc that my dad collected over his life time. A large portion of what he collected had to thrown out because the item was ruined from neglect. It is one of the primary reasons I encourage a little focus when collecting numismatics (or anything for that matter). Sometimes a bit of digging (research) can lead to interest in the item one has collected.

While I would never discourage anybody from collecting what they like, I still would secretly try to influence him/her to collect what interests him (or her) & to develop that. There's a subtle difference between the two (& one of the reasons I don't just dig a note's design). I'm hoping to reach the "c" collector (majority I believe) & turn them into an "a" collector (minority) since b collectors are typically unreachable.

I am not an "a" collector yet but more of a "c" collector because I have a variety of interests & hobbies outside currency. I have ample respect for all types of collectors but hope to develop into an a collector one of these days. I've just seen some PMG registry sets that are literally jaw-dropping.

If ones interest is to acquire one example from every nation then cool, go for it. I've seen a few collectors from Numista discuss this & I think its an incredible achievement (but its not for me & I've seen ample input from collectors who have quit). I just thought it was apt that I provide another perspective on the "numbers game" approach here.

Thanks, will check those out. I guess it only applies for new currency issues but it's difficult to search for, research, and properly catalog notes with the "P-new" designations.