Fun Notes: Why should collectors bother?

Tags

Banknotes

Let’s just cut to the chase. This is the big loaded question: “Why should I bother to collect fun notes?” This has been the big dispute among collectors for years. Some purists would go into deep trauma if they discovered a “fun note” in their collection. The thought would be so terrible that it may drive them to consider jumping off the nearest bridge (just kidding, but you get the idea). So, for you real banknote purists, fun notes are to be avoided like the black plague. However, for others whose collecting tastes are bit more eclectic and open, you might might discover that fun notes can be an amazing addition to your collection.

Fun Note featuring the micro-nation Pitcairn Islands
Available at robertsworldmoney.com

Not only does it afford you the opportunity to collect notes from unusual countries, such as the micro-nations of the Pitcairn Islands or Perish Islands. It also gives you the chance to obtain notes from countries like Panama and Sarawak, that are normally unaffordable. Do you enjoy collecting notes that feature musicians, movie stars or historical figures? Fun notes provide an interesting opportunity to collect along themes. There are fun notes that feature musicians like Richard Wagner, movie stars like Marlene Dietrich or historical figures like Joan of Arc.

Fun note featuring the actress Marlene Dietrich
Available at robertsworldmoney.com

The first fun note in my collection was from the beautiful Antarctica series. To this day, I continue to collect both real banknotes and fun notes.

A fun note from the Antarctica series
Available at robertsworldmoney.com

I understand that my approach to collecting is not without detractors. I often get asked (or criticized sometimes), “but these notes have no value.” That always strikes me as an interesting observation. First, they actually do have a real collectors value. Customers often ask me for some obsolete fun notes that were only issued a couple of years ago. Many fun notes have limited print runs. Some are as low as fifty notes, while others print close to a thousand. There are some that are more widely available, but this is rare for fun note collecting considering that the industry is still in its infancy. The fun note artists (starving artists – yes) can’t afford to tie up thousands of dollars in a single design. Many of the artists I know, once a note is produced, can’t wait to work on the new one and get it printed.

Some of my fun notes have increased in value ahead of my real banknotes. BUT, and I capitalized the ‘but’ because I don’t buy for my personal collection to resell or even think about reselling at some stage, I buy a note or banknote to add to my collection and to enhance my collection; not just for my pleasure, but also to improve the items I have to show people when I show my collection.

I also have blogs on some of the more well known artists. Of course the most famous fun note artist Franck Medina blog is not yet finished – it is in the works. See a scan of some of his work below.

We’d love to hear from you. How do you feel about collecting fun notes? Which fun notes series and artists are your favorites? Feel free to post a comment and get this conversation going.

Here are some of the fun note artists we love …