Lowest Serial Note I've Ever Seen...!

[MikeCoin 0]

Just thought I'd share this with you! At work today somebody handed me this note and my heart did that little skip thing when I noticed the serial number!

BD74 000006!

Shall I start planning my early retirement now?

[Guest reluctant_numismatist]

Shall I start planning my early retirement now?

Oh dear, not in that condition I'm afraid, and some teller's been scribbling on it... :-(

[Peckris 579]

Just thought I'd share this with you! At work today somebody handed me this note and my heart did that little skip thing when I noticed the serial number!

BD74 000006!

Shall I start planning my early retirement now?

I'm afraid I'm no expert on banknotes, but from what I remember it's the series that is most important (the first 4 characters), & then the long number.

Early series follow that, and low numbers follow that, so basically that's your 'hierarchy of interest'.

In other words, the ideal note is one that's "first series + low number", while low numbers on their own would attract a premium but much smaller.

[Guest reluctant_numismatist]

In other words, the ideal note is one that's "first series + low number", while low numbers on their own would attract a premium but much smaller.

And "lasts" as well; a banknote print run might go from serial number AA00 000001 (first prefix) to say GE12 345678 (last prefix). Many collectors aim for a representative "first and last" with as low a serial number as possible from each print run. Any prefixes between first and last aren't that interesting and the first hundred or so notes from the AA00 run go to places like the Bank of England museum, the Queen's private collection and then various banking big-wigs.

All way over my head though, I once went to an IBNS conference in London where a pal was going into extacies of delight over an UNC old "luncheon voucher" £1 note with a particularly rare "replacement" prefix that he'd just picked up from a dealer for £200. Does "£200 for a £1 note" beat "£400 for a penny"? :-)

What is worth looking at is the nice fresh UNC notes that you get out of cash dispensers for interesting number combinations that collectors will pay a premium for, such as repeaters i.e 123123 or pairs i.e 556677 or radar i.e 123321. But the odds of finding one are like winning the lottery, I've checked every note coming out of a hole in the wall for the past 15 years and the nearest I've seen is a partial radar, something like 456651. If you ever see one, keep it and for God's sake DON'T FOLD IT!

Now if I had this prefix and serial on a Bank of England note, I'd be laughing...

[Peckris 579]

Now if I had this prefix and serial on a Bank of England note, I'd be laughing...

So that naked guy must be James James Bond Bond then?

[Guest reluctant_numismatist]

So that naked guy must be James James Bond Bond then?

Yeah, but with a speech impediment; "J-J-J-James Bond, d-d-d-double oh-oh s-s-s-seven."

[Peckris 579]

So that naked guy must be James James Bond Bond then?

Yeah, but with a speech impediment; "J-J-J-James Bond, d-d-d-double oh-oh s-s-s-seven."

Not so much a speech impediment as shivering with cold! ("Ain't you finished yet? How much longer must I sit here holding a pose?")

[1949threepence 3,366]

In other words, the ideal note is one that's "first series + low number", while low numbers on their own would attract a premium but much smaller.

And "lasts" as well; a banknote print run might go from serial number AA00 000001 (first prefix) to say GE12 345678 (last prefix). Many collectors aim for a representative "first and last" with as low a serial number as possible from each print run. Any prefixes between first and last aren't that interesting and the first hundred or so notes from the AA00 run go to places like the Bank of England museum, the Queen's private collection and then various banking big-wigs.

All way over my head though, I once went to an IBNS conference in London where a pal was going into extacies of delight over an UNC old "luncheon voucher" £1 note with a particularly rare "replacement" prefix that he'd just picked up from a dealer for £200. Does "£200 for a £1 note" beat "£400 for a penny"? :-)

What is worth looking at is the nice fresh UNC notes that you get out of cash dispensers for interesting number combinations that collectors will pay a premium for, such as repeaters i.e 123123 or pairs i.e 556677 or radar i.e 123321. But the odds of finding one are like winning the lottery, I've checked every note coming out of a hole in the wall for the past 15 years and the nearest I've seen is a partial radar, something like 456651. If you ever see one, keep it and for God's sake DON'T FOLD IT!

Now if I had this prefix and serial on a Bank of England note, I'd be laughing...

That's exactly what I do, and when I drew out a tenner recently with the serial No HA27 444450, I was tempted to re-insert my card and draw out another £60 to get the 444444, given that new notes always seem to come out of the dispenser numerically in reverse. I later wished I had done, as I was the only one there, and had more than ample time.

Edited March 30, 2010 by 1949threepence

[scott 129]

yea i noticed that too.

only note i have of any significance is

1 US doller series 1988

A 03032891