Many Forum members will already have seen the superb reference article by Mark Marschner published in the latest (June 2007) CPM Newsletter. As I was reading that article I had a strange feeling that I was back at high school attending a high-level mathematics class!
The collecting of special serial numbers is a narrow but very valid offshoot of Canadian paper money collecting. Personally speaking, I do not view it as paper money collecting in the traditional sense because the focus of the hunt is not on the basic attributes of the notes themselves but solely on the serial numbers printed thereon and, after all, special serial numbers are merely "quirks" of the serial numbering machines.
Mr. Marschner's article makes an important reference to the fact that current-issue notes with special serial numbers are cumulatively extremely plentiful and that they will become more plentiful in the future. Thus, it seems likely that the supply side will dominate the demand side for most categories of special numbers, at least for the foreseeable future. It seems logical to assume that many brick hunters are sitting on large or even huge stocks of special numbers. Prices on older Canadian notes have increased so rapidly in recent years that much formerly-affordable material is now out of reach for all but the wealthiest collectors. Many newer and younger collectors are therefore forced to seek other avenues of collecting to stimulate and maintain their interest. This type of thing has happened in the past in other collecting fields and is, of course, good for the health of the hobby in the long run.
Personally speaking, I feel that the time has come to consider publishing a separate catalogue for special serial numbers (including error notes?), perhaps with a title like "The Standard Catalogue of Special Serial Number Bank of Canada Paper Money".
« Last Edit: June 29, 2007, 04:27:29 pm by Ottawa »
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" Buy the very best notes that you can afford and keep them for at least 10 years. " (Richard D. Lockwood, private communication, 1978).