Adventures in Collecting

On the weekend we attended a deceased estate auction in the nation’s capital.  Up for auction, amongst many things, were a set of foreign currency and a US 1976 bicentennial first day issue and medallion.

Bidding by proxy (via my sister, many thanks) I managed to win both lots which I had earmarked after reviewing photos online.  Once in possession of the loot, I was surprised to discover that the currency collection was a little more extensive than the photos led me to believe.

First off, the first day issue contains a silver medallion – although it looks suspiciously like gold (check the photos and you be the judge).  There is also a US postal issue first day cover from Philadelphia, post marked on the 4th of July.  Presented in a nice blue binder and complete with a letter from the Franklin Mint.  The medallion is different from many I’ve seen online and depicts the signing of the declaration of independence.

Next, the currency is a very interesting find indeed.  By the look, it was primarily collected during World War II – with the exception of some German Weimar republic notes from the early 1920s.  One of the Weimar notes – the 20,000 mark note – is in such good condition that I believe it is uncirculated.

Included amongst a range of pre-war German notes are Czech, Yugoslavian and Hungarian notes dating from roughly the same time period.  In addition to notes from the continent (Europe) there is also a wide range of so-called ‘Japanese Invasion Notes’ issued by the military government of Japan in areas of Asia (predominantly China and Malaysia) during the war in the pacific.

Much of this ‘banana money’ was produced but worth nothing after the end of the war.  Some of it even purports to be exchangeable for a balance in silver!  There is a note issued for Japanese armed forces in China, and several for Malaysia.  I understand that these notes are becoming rarer and rarer, and usually only found in private collections (although some have been donated to museums).