How To Value Notes When The Various Pricing Sources Are Different

What is the note?

-It is difficult but here's what I can tell you:
All pricing tables (price of a series/prefix/variety based on condition) are just estimates based on (traditionally) what a pricing panel (experts in the field) who "guestimate" what a specific type of prefix would fetch according to GRADE & the data they have.

General prefixes are not scrutinized & often dismissed (unless they're the first 3 "darling" series: 1935, 1937 & 1954 Devil's Face). General prefixes for the first 3 series are probably the most accurate in the catalogues (as they're the most prized by most dealers) and may be low in the books (vs reality or true market value).

However, the Modified 1954 series & newer just don't get the scrutiny (nor accuracy) that you'd expect for the first 3 series. General prefixes are considered very common & not super collectible.

Next, you have to question "where does C&C get their data?" As far as I can tell, it is from ebay sales but the transparency is not C&C strongest point. I have contacted the administrator for C&C to point out some glaring errors & no reply. He's clearly a "coin guy" & won't discuss how he comes up with his table "algorithms." He eventually corrected a couple errors I posted on a thread but with no reply (no thanks for the heads up, etc).

Where does Charlton get their data? From a panel of experts in the field (check the first pages of the catalogue as the pricing panel are named). So most dealers will go with the Charlton experts' estimates vs the C&C (or other online tables).

Whenever you get into more collectible notes (like lower #) the answer to your question gets even more murkier. For one, collectors seek true low # (below 10) & sometimes go for 100 & below for 1954 & earlier series but rarely chase 100-999. So I find C&C's estimate much more accurate than Charlton's (especially since UNC60 is pretty common compared to UNC 66) & Charlton's estimates are always based on original Choice UNC 64. That's the golden standard for errors & special # at the back of the book & then the condition deducts value in %, step-by-step graduations. I would estimate the value of the $10 Lawson-Bouey note to be closer to $110 & consider $225 for a BCS UNC 64 Original (which are pretty tough to find since BCS is so strict). Low # notes were sold by the BoC so they're much more common in higher grades than other signatures.



The C&C estimate is likely for a graded GEM UNC 65 & its probably a record high sale. Graded notes always get a big premium due to the cost involved & assurance that the note is possibly a top-pop. Charlton's $5.00 estimate is for a ungraded Choice UNC 64 note & since billions of 1973 ONES were issued, I would think far more accurate $5.00 (a fair price considering how common these are & dealers have too many).

C&C = CoinsandCanada website & pricing tables they offer online such as this one for the 1969-1975 series:
https://www.coinsandcanada.com/bank...75&id_cat=17

Charlton = Charlton Government Paper Money catalogue:
https://www.charltonpress.com/produ...edition-2024

Hope that helps answer your question!

For rare coins, I have observed this as well. The price guide at PCGS isn't a thorough analysis of sales for each specific grade. Their MS65 estimate seems fairly accurate to the market history, and all lower grades seem to be a percentage of MS65. Many lower grades are completely out of sync with real market results. I imagine the same is true of paper money pricing guides.

Current pricing should be more relevant. However, I have found most of the figures for regular prefixes slightly high & for (tougher) replacements slightly low. C&C rarely have short prefixes or change-overs tabled.

When I tried to acquire a set of 1935 Series, I found my Charlton guide very DATED & not overly helpful b/c 80-90% of the sellers were listing the notes I needed in USD. This meant a 30% increase in price (b/c US sellers looked at Charlton figures as if they were in USD not CAD). This was in 2014 & I did not know whether C&C existed.

Checking sold prices on ebay can be very helpful.
Though many 1971 low numbers are listed ,most at Charlton price or higher, only one has sold in the past three months.
127227276732 ,a wakeup call for pricing perhaps.
For vanilla two letter 1973's dozens of unholdered gem unc have sold for $5 or less.

Indeed. Necessities go up, discretionary spending goes down.