BTV 0101188. Are these notes still desireable? This one isn't in very good condition, but I held onto it just the same
It all depends on the note's eye-appeal which really does boil down to it's condition.
In Reply #9 of this thread, I wrote that I found one in strong VF. This means the note has 3-5 light folds and a few minor wrinkles so that it cannot be classified as an EF (extra fine) with only 2 light folds. However, there are no distracting marks on the note, no wear of the design, no edge tears, strong edges, and decent corners. The integrity of the paper/cotton fibres make it crisp (with good embossing) to the feel. Therefore- the way this note shows (it's eye appeal) would likely make it somewhat valued by a collector and therefore worth a premium above face.
It appears as if the BTV's are pretty uncommon and hard to get so your note MAY BE still be a "keeper" no matter how poor the condition is. No notes in the lower # range have been reported so it's possible that less were printed then previously expected. It is still too early to determine how many are out there, and as you've just proven by this post, they can still be plucked out of circulation (though it is a rare find!) If your note has a lot of edge tears, pen marks, or missing design on deep creasing, then I cannot be overly encouraging.
But, by the same token, even the UNC note has had a
pretty high profile among the collecting community which means
everyone has been on the look-out for one. If most collectors found one (or bought 1 just as it was released), and have a nice one in their collection, than the note's inherent value will be undermined since the demand will be low to obtain one (esp in lower grades).
This has happened before. For example, the Knight/Theissen FDZ had 0.2M more notes printed than it's Knight/Dodge "sister" signature change-over. Despite this- the earlier note became much more valuable since everyone was prepared to collect the latter. Only 600,000 (K/T) and 400,000 (K/D) notes of this prefix were printed, yet a lot of collectors ended up having them in higher grades. Lower graded K/D FDZ notes are tough sell.
I don't know if this will be the case with the BTV since only time will tell. i suspect that certain number ranges will be more sought after than others.
Canadian Paper Money
