A few weeks back, a reader of my blog asked my opinion on what is the best paper money blog that I recommend for him. I have been reading this blog even since I have not started blogging. Tom Chao's paper Money Gallery is still a blog with the best paper money collection in my opinion. This website design maybe a little bit old but there is so much information about paper money in his blog. I don't remember when exactly I started reading this blog but I always make this blog as a reference for my paper money collecting.This paper money website was first created on 6 August, 1997. Over the years, it has been continuously updated and expanded. Currently this site has 1063 pages and over 4300 pictures.
The owner of the blog is Tom Chao. He was born in Fuzhou, China, and came to the United States with his family when he was eleven years old. He was raised and educated in the New York City school system, receiving a Bachelor's degree from the City College of New York. He start collecting banknotes when he retired and he don't like coin because coin is bulky and banknote is more colourful.
The banknotes in his website are showcased in 7 major galleries by continents. You can also find any particular country under country index. In addition, there are 8 special exhibits:
- Banknote Vignettes
- Chinese Dynasties
- Hyperinflation
- Japanese Invasion Money
- Millennium
- Polymer Plastic
- Queen Elizabeth II
- U. S. Obsoletes
What I like the most about this blog is the Paper Money Trivia. In this section, you can find almost every Trivia for banknote. Here are some of them:
Highest Denomination Paper Money.
The world's highest denomination note is Hungary 100 Million B-Pengo*, issued in 1946. That's 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 Pengo. It was worth about U.S. $0.20 in 1946.
Highest Denomination Polymer Paper Money.
Romania 1,000,000 Lei, issued in 2003, is the world's highest denomination polymer plastic banknote. It's no longer legal tender. Four zeros were dropped in the 2005 currency reform.
Lowest Denomination Paper Money.
The lowest fractional note is Fiji 1 penny, issued in 1942. The old penny, being 1/240 of a pound, is a lower denomination than other fractional notes based on 1/100th of a basic monetary unit.
Largest Size Paper Money.
The 100,000 Piso note, measuring 356mm x 216mm (about the size of a legal paper), is accredited by the Guinness World Records as the world's largest legal tender note in terms of size beating the previous record: China Ming Dynasty 1 Kuan. The front depicts the "Cry of Pugadlawin", when about 1,000 Filipino patriots led by Andres Bonifacio gathered in Pugadlawin, on August 23, 1896. They tore up their Spanish-issued residence certificates and yelled "Long live the Philippines", signalling the start of a revolt against Spain. The back features the proclamation of the Philippine Declaration of Independence in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898. Only 1,000 of these notes were issued. It has a catalog value of $3500.
The Most Expensive Paper Money.
A world record of $2,255,000 was paid in a private transaction for a $1,000 1890 "Grand Watermelon" note in December 2006. It's the world's most expensive banknote.
I wish I have a vast collection of paper money like what this blog had. For my reader who have asked a question about The best paper money blog, I wish this post will satisfied you. There are so much information about paper money in this blog. I just wish Mr. Tom Chao can come in my blog and share his knowledge about paper money collecting. What do you think? Is there any paper money blog out there that in your opinion is the best blog for paper money? Share them in here or e-mail me for information regarding that blog.
