prefix AUH and the importance of reading your catalogue CAREFULLY

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Any one else noticing the recent trend of seemingly ordinary Birds series $2 AUH notes going for boffo prices on our favorite online sales site?  A bunch sold for $250 EACH, then another separate listing went for $520.  Now, there is a well circulated note ending in the morning and it is already at $72.  Looks like the same bidder is on top that purchased the $520 example.

All the notes in question are signed Crow-Bouey.

At least one person is going to have a mighty bad hangover after all this splurging.  But there were multiple bidders on the $520 piece, so is the disease contagious?  Is it a case of growing illiteracy among collectors, or just some shill bidding getting out of hand?

Similarly the same thing pattern happened once the GR test note was found and regeular GR notes started going up in price. It just shows you that speculation in our hobby is alive and well.

MG

This AUH just sold for $769.04  on June 15

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/131210941270?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

This was all over Facebook this week.  Everyone is looking for the big score. The version I saw didn't happen to mention the importance of checking the signatures.

One of the items listed on Ebay only showed the back with the serial number. Just for fun I asked the guy for a pic of the other side. He chose not to reply of course.

This was all over Facebook this week.  Everyone is looking for the big score.

I didn't personally see anything on Facebook or elsewhere, but I can't count how many times people have asked me "so do you have one of those $2 bills worth $20,000?" recently.

I'm disappointed to know that so many people will realize that they got burned and will likely shy away from the hobby from that point on.  There's no cure for stupidity, but hopefully not too many people fall victim to the hype.

Similarly the same thing pattern happened once the GR test note was found and regeular GR notes started going up in price. It just shows you that speculation in our hobby is alive and well.

MG

There is always going to be speculation.  I wouldn't judge the overall health of the hobby based on a bit of speculation.  In fact, I would look at the items that are not being speculated on and gauge how they are doing to find a more appropriate check on the health of the hobby.  The G/R prefix is an enigma reinforced by the catalogue.  Just like the price of gasoline, the catalogue prices go up in a hurry but are very slow to come back down.  I would love to know the reasons people have to paying big prices for non-test G/R notes.  Do they really think there will be more test ranges "uncovered" for the G/R prefix?

Anyway, back to the subject of AUH, it looks like a simple case of "I saved $30 bucks on the price of a catalogue AND I bought a whole bunch of really rare notes!  That's WIN-WIN, baby!!"

It's interesting that on the numicanada website, they have their own price guide for Birds series $2 notes, and I had to take a good look to realize that pricing for Crow-Bouey $2 notes is not in alphabetical order...

http://numicanada.com/billets-de-banque-valeur.php?billets=Billets_de_banque_du_Canada_de_1986_%E0_1991&id_cat=18&id_denom=3

  Specifically, they put AUG-AUH in the middle of the chart AFTER prefixes AUJ and AUK.  Someone taking their first look at the listings would think AUH does not exist for Crow-Bouey, but the AUH listing for Thiessen-Crow stands out clearly.  If the hype of Facebook was started by someone using the numicanada site as a reference, I think that is how they made the mistake.  Either that or it was deliberate, lol.

This was all over Facebook this week. 

And yet I am the first person to talk about it here, and I am not even on Facebook.  Why do we bother having this site, I wonder?

There's no cure for stupidity,...

Eureka!  Finally, someone agrees with me on this contentious point.  I have always said that you can educate people but you can't make people smart.

If this bit of bad research on AUH notes gets into the mainstream media, we may be faced with the possibility of seeing people come to this site and asking about their $2 bills for YEARS.  How many people will show up here thinking they have the $20,000 note squirreled away in their sock drawer?  Might as well close the forum and move everything onto Facebook.   :-D

.. but I can't count how many times people have asked me "so do you have one of those $2 bills worth $20,000?" recently.

No one has asked me if I owned a note like that (I guess I just don't look that rich) but I've had several people tell me about the famous AUH $2.00 note "that went for a million bucks" or thereabouts. 

I'm disappointed to know that so many people will realize that they got burned and will likely shy away from the hobby from that point on.  There's no cure for stupidity, but hopefully not too many people fall victim to the hype.

 

I think we're all with you on that point.  Call it the "Fred Flintstone Factor" everyone wants to get rich quick.

And haven't you noticed the spike in queries on "What's it worth?" 

So what do you think I should do with my stash of UNC AUH notes? I need a new roof.

So what do you think I should do with my stash of UNC AUH notes? I need a new roof.

I just seen the current cat, I'll just keep them 

or maybe use them as shingles mon

I just seen the current cat, I'll just keep them 

Laugh as you will, the catalogue value is down, but interest in 1986 $2 notes, including the changeover prefixes, is up.  The upward trend appears to have started even before the recent nonsense involving prefix AUH.

Speaking of prefix AUH, there was another note that sold for $650 almost a week ago...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251571716432

Notwithstanding a few recent ridiculous auction results, overall, prices for AUH notes and other prefixes appear to be getting stronger.  Is this a "renaissance" market fueled by perception that the catalogue prices are becoming more realistic?  Or is this purely the work of speculation and manipulation as eBay re-sellers are driving up prices to get their hands on something they can use to rip off a few more buyers?

will likely shy away from the hobby

Sometimes I wonder if this is a hobby or an investment vehicle. Can you imagine people calling the buying and selling of stocks on the stock market a hobby?

Maybe it is just me but it seems to me that a lot in this "hobby" is driven by what things are worth or will be worth. Even the holy book of government paper money that is often referred to in these discussions is all full of prices for the majority of it and yet if you want to learn about subtle design aspects of say the polymer notes they are no where to be found.

Before anyone jumps on me for saying this boldly  maybe you can start by telling me where on our 10 dollar bill one can find Mount Edith Cavell and where is this fact published?

And while you are at it can someone kindly point me to the number of different places one can find Bank of Canada printed on the polymer note. As a hobbyist interested in Canadian Paper Money these would be more interesting things to know for me than how much a radar note is worth 

Sometimes I wonder if this is a hobby or an investment vehicle. Can you imagine people calling the buying and selling of stocks on the stock market a hobby?

Maybe it is just me but it seems to me that a lot in this "hobby" is driven by what things are worth or will be worth. Even the holy book of government paper money that is often referred to in these discussions is all full of prices for the majority of it and yet if you want to learn about subtle design aspects of say the polymer notes they are no where to be found.

Before anyone jumps on me for saying this boldly  maybe you can start by telling me where on our 10 dollar bill one can find Mount Edith Cavell and where is this fact published?

And while you are at it can someone kindly point me to the number of different places one can find Bank of Canada printed on the polymer note. As a hobbyist interested in Canadian Paper Money these would be more interesting things to know for me than how much a radar note is worth 

So... Where do you publish your research?

Before anyone jumps on me for saying this boldly  maybe you can start by telling me where on our 10 dollar bill one can find Mount Edith Cavell and where is this fact published?

Bank of Canada has a PDF explaining what is on the $10 on it's website that mentions Mount Edith Cavell...
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/design_10.pdf