The MIF Paper Money Fair was held in Maastricht, The Netherlands from 24 – 29 September 2024. It was another successful show, according to organizer Dimitri Waltmans. “We had more than 215 exhibitors and dealers from 65 nations around the world.” Many of the best notes changed hands in private transactions during the dealer-only pre-bourse which ran for three days prior to the official opening on Friday the 27th. On the weekend, all visitors could visit the show for free.
Photo courtesy of Don Ludwig.
In addition to the wholesale deals where massive bundles of modern notes changed hands, there were also a lot of avid collectors roaming the aisles and furiously hunched over tables, flipping through inventory boxes in search of elusive individual notes from years past. Many buyers immediately made their way to the PMG table to have their acquisitions professionally graded.
“PMG was honored to recently serve as the exclusive on-site grading partner for the MIF Paper Money Fair for the third consecutive year,” said Richard Stein, Director of European Operations for the Certified Collectibles Group. “The excitement and demand for our services continues to grow, and our team is pleased to meet that demand with expert grading that adds value and liquidity to collectibles. The increasingly large crowds at MIF demonstrate that both new and veteran collectors look forward to PMG’s attendance.”
Many of the notes acquired and graded at the show were then consigned to various auction houses for future sales. All the major auction houses had booths and tables where interested buyers could examine notes in person prior to bidding on same in several high-profile auctions coinciding with MIF.
Stack’s Bowers Galleries just concluded its Fall 2024 Maastricht Auction of World Paper Money on 2 October. According to Dennis Hengeveld, Director of Consignments & Senior Numismatist, “Attendees were particularly interested in Eastern European notes from the Al Kugel Collection, such as the rare 1923 5,000-marka note (Estonia B206a) that ultimately sold for US$33,600, almost ten times its estimate. We see more and more interest in this area and the Al Kugel collection offers an unprecedented opportunity to acquire select rarities from the region.”
this rare 1923 5,000-marka note (Estonia B206a) for US$33,600, almost ten times its estimate.
Not to be outdone, Noonans was showcasing the Mount Damavand Collection of Persian Banknotes, which went under the hammer on 3 October. “The Persia chapter of The Banknote Book was invaluable in the preparation of our catalog for this collection,” said Andrew Pattison, head of Noonans banknote department. “The astonishing level of detail in the chapter meant we were able to easily distinguish varieties and discover rarities that we might have otherwise overlooked. Our most significant find was a 1926 2-toman note with a previously unknown overprinted branch of issue: Seistan (Persia B114b21b). Several notes on offer also filled in gaps in other listings which were inferred but not confirmed, and added a number of previously unknown minor varieties which are invaluable for completing the records of this highly collectable series.”
If you missed these rarities, there’s still time to bid on Spink’s auction of world banknotes to be held 8 October. According to Arnas Savickas, Global Coordinator Banknotes, “We experienced a great deal of excitement around multiple lots, and while it’s challenging to narrow it down to just a single highlight, the recently discovered unissued 50-pound note circa 1924 generated a disproportionate number of inquiries (Australia B118.5as).”
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