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***Among the early Malaysian banknotes of the $10 deno, the 3rd Series is the cheapest & the most common.
Despite the passage of 40 long years, it's still a laggard pricewise & as such, there is nothing to crow, gloat, shout or trumpet about even if the note bears a so & so solid numbers.
After all, its prefix is neither the all-desirable first nor the last prefix but it's just another lousy middle prefix & also, if one were to count the prefixes from the first to the last, actually, quite a hell of a lot of these notes were printed & thus, the quantity for the total solid numbers printed is quite colossal, so all crowings, gloatings, shoutings & trumpeting should be reserved for a much rarer banknote compared to this common one.
***The first ever Malaysian banknote made using Polymer with a face value of RM50 but sold to the numismatic public at RM80 each.
But, after 15 years, its price is still stuck at the dungeon-level, with no prospect of it ever making an inch of uptick pricewise.
Apparently, 500,000 pieces were issued, but this is a very tiny issue as after all, Malaysia has a rough total population of 25 million people, but you can nevertheless still buy a piece online for as low as RM85, or you can pop by at the Central Bank's Money Museum in KL & buy them at the price when it was first issued 15 years ago, ie, at RM80.
As such, this featured banknote is an extremely fine example of what one should never gloat about and with the grading fees at approximately RM100, this banknote is up for sale at just RM185 only.
Thus, whoever is interested, please don't hesitate to PM. Take note that the extra RM100 is actually roughly the amount paid to PMG to have the note graded. If you want to buy at RM80, you can buy it at the Money Museum.
***A worthless 1 Rupee Japanese Invasion Money used in Burma but which seems to come without its all-common Block letters of BD.
But surely, the all-efficient Japs couldn't have omitted printing the Block letters.
And if local Malaysian banknotes can have had the Agung portraits on them removed, & thus, making them 'excellent errors', surely, these JIM notes' Block letters could be removed too,& very easily that is, esp. now that there are so many newly crowned sifus, or rather senseis or better still, grandmasters, in the Malaysian numismatic world.
That being the case, then, this banknote is nothing but a 'post-mint job', but a very professionally done 'post-mint job' that each and everyone of us should & must be proud of.
***This is the common variety of the Set Of 9 Malaysian proof struck coins in a coincard minted by Franklin Mint but with its cert in Bahasa Malaysia & signed by then Governor, Aziz Taha.
Actually, this is most common variety as can be easily testified by one of the current numismatic catalogues, whereby its price is very much lower than the ever popular English version.
The one which has the cert by Franklin Mint is more expensive as it's very much scarcer as compared to this one signed by Aziz Taha, which actually is the common, & thus, cheaper variety.
***Just because you have several running pieces and just because you think they are UNC doesn't mean that it's considered a fait accompli that PMG would grade your notes way above the 64 mark.
As can be seen on these 2 banknotes, one was given 58 while the other was given 64.
The answer is simple, as PMG knows better as after all they are the Numero Un as far as independent banknotes grading is concerned & if we think we are so freaking smart as to already being able to guess the grades that we would be getting, why then bother sending them to PMG?
The rule of the thumb is, never jump the gun & count the chicks early.
***Polymer notes should be perfect 10 notes as they have very sharp edges and corners & whatever, not to mention the perfect flat surfaces & being mechanically cut perfectly & as such with such perfectness, polymer notes without any doubt, should be perfect candidates in getting PMG 70EPQ as after all, there has been a deluge of Malaysian paper notes graded as PMG 67EPQ & so, polymer notes should be getting higher than PMG 67EPQ, of course.
However, counting chicks before they are even hatched is always a well-repeated folly as can be seen by this perfect 10 note but alas, which could afford to get a miserable PMG 66EPQ only.
***It's beyond the dark shadow of doubt that anything that gets above PMG 64 EPQ should be considered as excellent pieces of numismatic paper, esp. those printed in the 60s, 70s & 80s, as it's never easy for these 30 & 40 year-old notes to maintain their original pristine condition after all these years into order to get high grades from the leading world class banknotes grader, PMG.
And this is especially so proven that these recent less than a year-old banknotes from the recently concluded 11th Malaysian Series also couldn't get a 64, not to mention a 67, as due to the high standards practised by PMG, they could only get a lowly 63.
And it's no wonder that anything that's highly graded by PMG usually commands special premium in the numismatic market as the buyer can buyer confidently without having doubts about the notes' grades as compared to a raw ungraded ones.
***Actually, this is an old story, an old story because this is already more than a year old now and in the world of numismatics, a year is a freaking long time, but there is no harm to feature a banknote that one is already tired of, just like there is no harm putting old wine into a shiny brand-new bottle, sozusagen, right?
Of course, there is nothing to trumpet about as after all what's the freaking big deal with a banknote bearing the First Prefix of 'AA' as every motherfreaker by now would have had a similar note in their possessions unlike the days of yore, when no one is on the look-out for the First Prefixed banknotes, but then, then, most First Prefixed banknotes do not start with the Prefix of 'AA.'
As such, the current First Prefixed 'AA' notes are nothing to gloat about but rather, are meant to be spent when one goes shopping.
***A freshly issued set of proof coins commemorating the golden jubilee of the National Museum and of course, this is an extremely popular issue and that's especially so by looking at the long crowd that queued to buy this issue.
This is also a very popular issue because it so happens that there hasn't been any proof coin issues for one year long now and one year is definitely a long time in the numismatic world as lots of numismatic collectors have lots of dough and they don't know what to do with it while waiting for new commemorative issues to come out. Thus, any new issue, regardless of the theme, will be gobbled up.
And talking about museums, of course, the most famous of all should be The Louvre (Musée du Louvre) in Paris as that's the home of 'Mona Lisa' and one might need a week of more to cover every inch of the museum. But of course, there are no Mona Lisa proof coins to buy, even at the 'mini-shop' at The Louvre.
***Another Bo Derek-like perfect 10 banknote and perfect it should be as it's made of polymer or if you want, plastic, and as such should deserved to be graded as PMG 70 EPQ.
But, all it could get is PMG 66 EPQ. There is nothing imperfect with this banknote as all of its 4 corners are as sharp as hell & the note is as flat as the globe, but, why then, only a 66?
Maybe the many "Sifus" out there could be a source of enlightenment....
***A stack of 100 Running Pieces of the new RM1 ZB Replacement and of course, it came from none other than the Fort Knox-like Monetary Vault of our respected numismatic market leader, Sir Raymond Chang (O.B.E.).
It's amazing that the numismatic market is filled with a deluge of various alphabetical replacements, from ZA, ZB, ZC & Z don't know what.
Why so many Zs? Why so many banknotes have been misprinted that they needed to be replaced?
And of course, there is nothing to gloat about with these ZB Replacements as below the surface, there is a supply and in due course, the market will be flooded.
Have you folks forgotten about the 'rare' RM1 ZD Replacement 'incident?!'
***A stack of 100 pieces of the new RM1 polymer note & which should have the all important & pivotal notes bearing the Serial NOs of 9999999 & 10000000, but sadly, these 2 very much desired banknotes are missing & in their places are 2 lousy pieces of ZB Replacements.
Of course, these RM1 ZB should be useless in the final analysis because the ZBs could and should come out in stacks or bricks but the Solid 9s & 10 Millions will never come out in stacks and you sure don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to know that.
And of course, given a choice to choose, it's better to choose Solid 9s and 10 Millions instead of the freaking ZB Replacement.
***A Stack of the new RM1 polymer note & supposedly freshly out from the print and of course, since it's polymer, it's meant to last forever, as "Polymer Is Forever," the newly coined numismatic slogan.
And sadly, this note just bears the almost solid serial numbers of 8888801 and the all important pivotal number found therein is missing.
In its place, there was a note that bears the Prefix of ZD...Maybe, this is an error/misprinted note.
Perhaps, the many sifus out there, old & newly crowned ones, could share some light on this...
***A piece of banknote issued 30 solid years ago and a piece that's of nothing to shout about as it is not in very good condition, as it's in About Fine Condition or to make it simpler, it's almost Fine condition, almost there but not yet in Fine Condition, but of course, sellers have their own set of rules when it comes to grading and this note could be graded by them as About EF, EF or even in UNC Condition.
Also nothing special with its serial numbers nor its prefix because it if has a Prefix of 'AA', at least we know that it's the First Prefix and as such, would carry multiple premiums for having had the First Prefix, but with a Prefix way, way down the lengthy line, who freaking cares actually as there are more things in life to keep one amused.
***From the newly reinforced 20-foot monetary vault of Sir Raymond Chang, here are the latest Replacements in the form of none other than the ZCs.
Of course, everyone is looking for those with 5 or even 6 zeroes but waste your time not folks as they are firmly in the grasp of our respected numismatic market leader and he is none other than, of course, Sir Raymond Chang.
By the way, they are for sale, so, please don't hesitate to ask, okay?
Anyway, according to the usual very reliable underground grapevine, the RM1 ZD is also out but just not sighted yet and as such, this ZD could be the rare one, the one that everyone would want to have a chunk of.
According to one particular 'Sifu,' it would be out during this Hari Raya, so, do stand-by at the ATM machines or maybe, get the money-changers to help you.....
***Honestly, is there something to shout about, to crow about, to trumpet about, to croak and to gloat about as far as this banknote is concerned as the fat jury is still out?
Apparently, the Golden Stripe found at the Reverse is missing and as such, this could be the prince of some gloating rights, but then, this could also a 'post-mint job.'
But how to know if it's indeed a 'post-mint job?' Well, the best thing to do is to consult the many numismatic sifus in Malaysia but who is the best person to consult?
Maybe, Sifu & Pakar Numis Steven Tan could be consulted on this in order to make sure that this is no 'post-mint job' as after all, Sifu & Pakar Numis Steven Tan is one of the most senior, if not the most senior, numismatists in town and whose opinion should be invaluable and should carry lots of credible weight.
***There had been lots and lots of heated coffee-shops discussions as to which is the rarer $100 Malaysian banknote and many have wrongly proclaimed that this one, ie, the 4th Series, should be crowned as the rarest.
But, actually, by using common sense & simple arithmetic, one doesn't need to be an Einstein wannabee to know that the 1st Series $100 Malaysian banknote should be the rarer one compared to its compatriot from the 4th Series as the 1st Series had only 3 prefixes issued, while the 4th Series had as many as 6 prefixes, which means, the total quantity printed was double that of the 1st Series. Isn't that simple enough!
Also, the 1st Series comes with the Old Spelling & Old Spelling means extra premium for this banknote and that means extra rarity for the note........
***Of course this is, indeed, a Replacement Issue issued way, way before many of you out there were born.
But as you folks would know by now, this is neither a scarce nor a rare Malaysian replacement issue as the RM2 ZB is a rarer & a scarcer note and even the the so-called RM1 CR Aishah Banknote should be rarer and more difficult to grab hold of.
Furthermore, the X/1 Prefix is not popular among collectors as most collectors prefer the 'Z' Prefix for Replacement issues.
And above all, no gongs need to be superfluously hammered as this banknote is only in the About Fine or Fine++++ grade.
***This gold coin with a face value of $500 was issued way, way back before many were born, ie, 1976, as part of the World Wildlife Conservation series.
More than 2,800 pieces of this coin were minted totally & as such, this gold coin is NOT a scarce nor rare coin since there are just too many of these around.
It's just another gold coin but it doesn't consist of 999% pure gold & it's always better to buy Maple Leaf, for example, which is 999.9 pure gold compared to this Tapir Gold.
Tapir Gold is neither a "Buy" nor a "Hold" at this moment.
***Just another piece of the Malaysian solid numbers banknotes, which by now one would have seen a lot as there's always a deluge of these for sale online & offline.
And of course, the jewel of the crown would be one bearing the solid numbers of 8888888 & as such, there is nothing to gloat or crow about for this piece of banknote, as what is a '9' compared to an '8?!'
But, one Smart Alec has kindly pointed out that this particular banknote is the last solid number banknote for the RM100 deno for the 12th Series.
Is this true?
***A perfect 10 banknote in form & shape printed on eternally lasting polymer material but no matter how perfect the banknote is, one still can't get PMG70, but instead got a lousy PMG66 only.
But that's what PMG is all about, & it's all about maintaining a credible high standard and which in turn, brings extra value to the subject note that was graded, & no wonder, most banknotes already graded by PMG command high prices when sold, because PMG has credibility when it comes to banknotes grading as they do not simply give out superlative grades to any bloody note even though that particular note through our naked eyes seems totally perfect & without flaws.
If every UNC banknote esp. those printed on polymer were to be given PMG 70, then, PMG might become the NO.1 laughing stock of the numismatic world as then the highest mark of 70 would no longer be something that's scarce & rare!
***Of course, when one sends a coin to NGC to be slabbed, one always hope to get at least MS67 or the all-coveted MS68 for a coin with a business strike & in this aspect, MS66 is truly a big disappointment even though the coin looks truly BU.
This coin has a total mintage of almost 10 million and that's a freaking huge mintage and compared to its 10 sen cousin of the same year, which has a total mintage of only a mere 33,000 pieces, these 10 million sure sound & look colossal and certainly will never fall under the scarce category.
So why send it to be slabbed as the costs for doing so is actually higher than the numismatic value of the coin itself?
Maybe, perhaps, NGC belongs to one's father or grandfather.
***A banknote that's not worth crowing about as according to the 12th Edition of the Standard Catalogue of World Paper money, this Specimen piece is only worth 50 Yankee Dollars.
Of course, now it's featured prominently in the hereafter Tyvek Museum after a very short-lived stint in the supposedly eternal plastic world of banknotes, but as usual, when one hopes for something, something else will happen.
This banknote is supposed to be eternally durable, being the first 'plastic' banknote to be circulated, but instead, it's life was cut short due to its non-durability!
And why would one want to have this banknote graded by PMG as the costs for having this banknote graded could be higher than the current market value of this banknote in the numismatic market, unless of course, if PMG belongs to one's father or grandfather?!
***Nowadays all types of banknotes are being sent to PMG for grading even though some or rather, many of these banknotes are inexpensive ones, giving the impression that it's not that expensive to have had banknotes graded by PMG or that PMG belongs to one's grandfather.
Take this 50 cents JIM as a fine example as it is currently catalogued at RM20 a piece, that is, mind you, for a UNC piece, and an AUNC piece would, naturally, be priced very much lower than that, so, why send such a cheap banknote to PMG to be 'slabbed' unless of course, PMG must be owned by one's father or one's grandfather.
***There is no cause to gloat, crow or trumpet about as far as this banknote is concerned as the true, bona-fide and only recognised Ladder Serial Number for banknotes is none other than 1234567.
0123456 and 3456789, etc, are all make-believe ladder numbers for folks who couldn't get hold of the actual & original Ladder Number which is the officially recognised one, ie, 1234567.
Other than 1234567, the rest are not recognised and should be preferably not be dignified in a gloatable way, unless of course, if that particular banknote also happens to be a Replacement.
***These were almost forgotten but found safely stacked in the 10 feet thick monetary vault of Sir Raymond Chang.
How time flies as these banknotes were printed 5 to 6 short years ago but yet, they seem so pristine and freshly baked from the numismatic oven!
Sir Raymond is so cocksure that these will be graded as PMG 68 and above and as such, has dispatched these notes to the HQ of PMG to be graded and thereafter, will be eternally displayed at the newly renovated Sir Raymond's Money Museum.......
***And as far as Malaysian error coins are concerned, many come in very dramatic forms, with multiple unbelievable strikes, ridiculous double strikes of different years and ridiculous mules, but of course, by now, most, except the neophytes, know that these are nothing but so-called assisted-errors - real, bona-fide errors that have had a humanly helping hand and/or hands!
And, now we have a 'new' type of errors surfacing of late in the form known as 'Post Mint Jobs.' Look at one, use your grey matter and you would know what a Post Mint Job is.
The more dramatic the error is, mostly probably, they are humanly assisted, either inside the mint or outside or both.
'Believable errors' for Malaysian coins are mostly in the forms of double strikes, off-centre strikes, uniface strikes or doubled die errors.
And this 5 sen coin does have some nice doublings at the 'tower' of the top & at the top's strings.
According to the owner of this coin, he got it from the Sunday flea market up North known as the SP Plaza Pasar Lambak and what a good find.
By the way, could a Doubled Die error coin be humanly assisted and/or a post mint job? Very unlikely, otherwise, there would be a deluge of these online & offline.
But since there is still a huge market for assisted errors & Post Mint Jobs' errors, the factories producing these would surely continue to be busy as the proverbial saying of a sucker being born every second seems to ring true.
