Introduction to
foreign money collecting

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Collecting foreign money is a relatively new hobby, but it is already immensely popular around the World. For years, it has been slowly gaining ground in the United States. For now, the only currency that is widely collected in the United States is American money.

Foreign money is considered to be anything except American money. The United States dollar is a major international currency and it is used all over the World. Most people do not consider American money to be foreign at all.

Some people believe that collecting currency is as old as paper money itself, but there are no written records that attest to this. By 1975, however, currency collecting became formally established as a separate branch of coin collecting.

Technically, paper money is not quite the same as currency, because paper money is a little bit more specific than the word currency. Paper money refers to anything that handles like paper, even if it isn't paper. Oddly, currency made out of plastic, cloth, cardboard and wood falls within the classification of paper money nonetheless.

The word currency is a general term for metallic coins and paper money as well. In any case, within the context of collecting, currency is the same as paper money.

In the United States, bill is the word for currency. Another word for bill is note, but the word note is considered to be more technical. Money, currency and bill are the most common words used in America to describe paper money.

The great majority of the time, and not quite always, collectible currency needs to be crisp and uncirculated, or in mint, unused condition. Uncirculated bills are more desirable for collecting because they show all the intricate details that make money difficult or impossible to copy. Intricate details on money also are made to look very beautiful and appealing to the eye, for reasons of national pride.

Note: Plastic credit cards are not currency. Plastic film, however, is currency. In 1988, revolutionary new technology from Australia introduced polymer currency to the World. Polymer is a type of transparent plastic film used to print money on, producing durable currency that is especially resistant to humidity and water. Not all countries have polymer plastic money, but the list is increasing as time goes by.

Collecting foreign money is an ideal way to become familiar with wonderful places and people of different cultures. Through this extraordinary hobby, one can learn history, geography and languages, and also get acquainted with national symbols, political icons, exotic animals and breathtaking scenery. To collect foreign money is to travel to all seven continents, seeing and discovering things that can enrich one's life. Currency collecting brings knowledge and promotes culture to last a lifetime.




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