Paper money of the countries of Europe

Сollecting bill currency notes

The modern world is hard to imagine without the universal equivalent of value - money. In the 21st century, paper banknotes hold a dominant position among the various banknotes that exist in the world. Bonistics is the study of paper money.

Bonistics is a relatively young type of collecting, emerged in the 20th century and just began to gain popularity.

Obviously, no experienced bonist will give a concrete answer to the question of a young collector: "How to start collecting notes?" Similar to numismatics, in bon studies, a beginner must choose a topic of interest to start a collection — perhaps he/she may be interested in bonds of a specific country, region, period, style, or theme.

The owner of the largest bonds collection in the world, 62-year-old German Josef Gerber recommends that beginners definitely decide on a specialization. And he adds: "Be careful with collecting typos, there are many fakes on the market." Gerber emphasizes - sometimes fakes, like typos, are of particular value to collectors.

For example, in the Gerber collection there is a 5 euro banknote, on which the designation of Holland (letter P) is combined with the Berlin number R003. It is only a few years old, but it is worth more than 700 euros already.

Paper money, as you know, requires special care. This is one of the crucial things in bonistics, since the price of a banknote directly depends on its condition. Note collectors know that

a small stain, a bend, a tear can reduce the banknote price several times. Bonds in the best condition are a priority for the collection. Many rare banknotes can have a number of different defects, but they have to be accepted into the collection in the absence of other pieces in better condition.

Bonistics is one of the easiest ways to learn about the culture and history of a certain country. Any paper money notes

is the most concise and accurate description of the entire era. From banknotes, we can obtain comprehensive information about the the state's economy in a certain period, the wealth of its citizens, the social system, the form of government, inflation in the country, social upheavals, etc.

Often, by studying banknotes, we can get information about the lifestyle and customs of the people of a certain country. And sometimes learn about interesting events that happened at some point in history.

Here is, for example, an interesting fact. After the reunification of East and West Germany into a single country, the German authorities faced a difficult problem: what to do with paper bills of East Germany that were in circulation? To dispose of them by incineration would be extremely harmful to the environment, it would contribute to the release of a large number of harmful elements into the atmosphere. It was decided to hide bills worth billions of marks in salt mines. One can only imagine what pleasant surprises await collectors who will get to this money after tens or even hundreds of years.

Bonistics is not so much a hobby as a whole science. Unlike other types of collecting, there is no subjectivity here, but there are clear criteria for value, its own economic laws, etc.

Coins and banknotes have not only nominal value, but also artistic and historical value.

And also collecting bill currency is:

Investment - collectors obtain banknotes issued in small editions or timed to coincide with significant events. The value of such pieces is growing every year.

Preservation of traditions - collections are inherited, passion often begins in childhood. Behind every major collection is a family story, when someone found, bought or inherited an interesting banknote. And that was the beginning of the collection.

Preservation and study of historical information - sometimes on a copy of a bill, currency notes and images on it, you can learn a lot of interesting things about the politics and economy of the era.

To adequately assess the value of old paper money, it's best to seek help from specialists.

You are welcome to view the catalog of banknotes on our website. If you haven't found the item you want, it may be available soon.

After all, the list is updated daily. Bonistics is a really affordable type of collecting, as fair prices on our website support that.