Paper money collecting has become a very popular and growing hobby the world over. Alright, we know that its not as widespread as coin or stamp collecting but its getting up there. And why is this you may ask?

My simple answer is look at me, and the answer will not be too far behind. Two months ago I didn't even know that such a hobby excisted. Ok I knew you could collect stamps and coins of different countries. But paper money? I never even considered it. So how did it all start? I stumbled on the hobby acciendtally and got hooked almost immediately. Read all about this in my paper money collecting journal.

Here a few reasons why I think that this is a very cool hobby that can fill you with the beauty of the world around us and an ability to continue to acquire knowledge about the vast planet Earth we belong to without the stress of having to prove anything to anyone.

The banknotes of a country tell unique story of its art, people, history and geography. The richer your imagination the wider the experience and excitement one gets from handling and keeping money from different places.

For some people their paper money collection is an extension of another interest, it could be boats, birds, animals. They may have been collecting old postcards of birds and then started collecting stamps that has images of different birds on them, this ultimately may have lead to collecting world banknotes that have images of bird.

Really the kind of collection one does is only limited to the collectors imagination as there are so many different types of collections that exist out there. Some collectors even concentrate on errors and misprints, serial numbers, a particular time in history, a country etc. The choice honestly is yours, whatever takes your fancy.

The collection then becomes a great conversational tool, or even a means to teach the children something interesting that will captivate their attention. Take for instance the US banknotes, if I were an American and my children had to learn about the past presidents of the country, I would use the banknotes as a reference point. The portraits of these great men are always there for anyone who is paying attention to take note, and I would use this as a teaching tool. You will be surprised to find how much more easily one takes in the information with this kind of referencing.

Another facsinating aspect of collecting paper money that is not widely known or spoken about is the collection of old checks and bond certificates. These are valued for historical as well as artistic referencing. The detail and colour of these pieces make them beautiful works of arts on their own.

There is so much to learn and enjoy with colleting paper money and I am really having a great time.