Numismatics and Notaphily Blog

Guides and articles on collecting banknotes and coins: history, technique, and practical advice.

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  August 3, 2026

  Mylar Yes, Plastic No: Storing Banknotes

  PVC destroys banknotes in silence: it yellows paper, lifts inks, and leaves a greasy film. Why archival polyester (Mylar) is the only safe sleeve.

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• 
  July 19, 2026

  Three Printers? Colombian Imprints

  IBB, IBSFB, and Banco de la República look like three different printers, but they tell another story: one press and a city that changed its name.

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• 
  July 16, 2026

  Numismatics vs Notaphily

  Numismatics and notaphily are often confused. What each studies, how they relate, and why the distinction matters to collectors.

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  July 16, 2026

  Fancy Serial Numbers on Banknotes

  Low serials, radars, solids, ladders: why some serial numbers drive a banknote’s value among collectors.

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  July 16, 2026

  Figures on Colombia Banknotes

  From Bolívar and Policarpa to García Márquez and Débora Arango: the faces that have starred on Colombian paper money and what they represent.

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  July 16, 2026

  How to Identify Counterfeit Banknotes

  Watermark, security thread, microprinting, color-shifting inks: the features that distinguish a genuine banknote from a fake.

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  July 16, 2026

  How to Start a Banknote Collection

  A beginner’s guide: how to choose a focus, where to find pieces, and how to care for and classify your first collectible banknotes.

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• 
  July 16, 2026

  Origins of Commercial Banking in Colombia

  Before a central bank existed, dozens of Colombian private banks issued their own notes. How free banking worked —and why it ended.

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  July 16, 2026

  Origins of Commercial Banking in Puerto Rico

  From the Spanish peso to the dollar: how issuing banks were born in Puerto Rico with the Banco Español de Puerto Rico, and what changed after 1898.

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