Specimen Notes

My issue with specimens is that there is no real documentation & it seems always that they're listed for a FRACTION of what the books claim them to be worth. There are specimen notes that are actually printed with the word SPECIMEN on them. But there are other notes with serials being 000000 which are considered to be "unmarked" specimens. It doesn't make much sense to me, but the so-called "unmarked" specimen notes collect a huge premium.

Some specimens are also numbered (such as the example below):


When you consider that the following (image above) sold at a Noble auction (April 2012) for $10,000 based on a $12,000 estimate & McDonald lists the same Fraser/Evans AA93000000 specimen note for $80,000...you really start to go .

Are they worth collecting?

I'd much prefer a million 1,000,000 serial note than a specimen...only thing is that they don't have a polymer $50 with a 1000000 serial.

Although there are a handful of specimens which are signed by the signatories of the note. They command a decent amount, but so they should given the hand signed signature & the historical importance.

Hi Petr,
My belief is that they have dropped so dramatically because:
1) There is no real records for the amount that have been printed. (Unless if they have a special print number on them)
2) Being a current issue, we don't know how many more are going to be printed.
3) Collectors could collect many other numerous things that are much nicer & more likely to be much more sought after at some point in the "NEAR" future.
4) This is the instance of Demand vs. Supply, rather than Supply vs. Demand. It seems that there's already too many of them.

My then question is, what makes the note a specimen? Is it because the serial number is 000000? Does it have to be a first prefix AA? Does it have to be numbered? (as in the example above) Does it have to have SPECIMEN in red printed on the note somewhere? Is it a combination of the factors I've just listed?

I've seen so many dealers with specimen notes, but not a huge amount at auctions.
This Noble link has some specimen notes: http://noble.com.au/auctions/search...ch/&p=1&c=76

When you see specimen notes numbered up to "SPECIMEN No. 0587", that's when you really start questioning how many have been printed?

Also, when you read about some of the following things done in the past e.g:

• An unnumbered specimen issue, CUT from an official charity auction of the single sheet issued by the Reserve Bank.


• Consecutive pair from unique uncut sheet of forty.


• Single note cut from unique uncut sheet.


• Listed under specimens: ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS, Fraser/Evans (1996) BX 96 865733 (R.616 variety), test note with blue portraits instead of grey, together with two BX96 notes for comparison, one with grey crescentic line through Monash's eye. Good very fine or better (3): The only one known, though a sheet of thirty two was probably printed. This distinct colour matches the ten dollars and MAY have been the result of an experiment or trial, or an error in production. What makes this a specimen? I would think it was an error.


• Notes with any prefix & 000000 (for example AM07 000000). It just looks like a solid serial number to me.

BUT MIND YOU, WHAT MAKES ANY OF THESE NOTES A SPECIMEN?

To me a specimen note is a note that has the word "SPECIMEN" printed on it! The trueist specimen to me in polymer notes is a note with specimen printed on it, with a first prefix, the serial number containing 000000 & the note being individual numbered. But remember this is only my opinion.

So does that mean my circulated AA05 777777 is worthless considering there's not too many more first prefix solid serials than a lot of these supposed specimens?
If some specimens go up to 0587 & possibly well beyond, that would make a solid serial first prefix even rarer...just think of a solid serial last prefix...a solid serial first/last test prefix...how about even the first (or some will say last) note in $100 series 1999 AA99 999999 or how about the last JK99 999999...& the more recent AA11 111111...that's what I would consider a real note! A circulation note.

Yeah,top quality Oz notes have seemed to hold their value but poor/average condition ones are cheaper now than they were 30 years ago,most dealers put it down to supply/demand on the ebay juggernaught.