Zimbabwe Hyper Inflation currency

Hi All,

Just wondering if someone can give me some ideas as to how much the Zimbabwe notes are worth.

I bought a full set of the above from Z$1 to Z$100 trillion in January 2010 for around US$50. Prior to that, I also bought 4 sets of the notes of 10 to 100 trillion for just under US$5 in April 2009, and in this purchase I was give the following two notes:

$20 trillion s/n AA 0110110 (radar or binary note); and

$100 trillion ZA replacement note.

I understand that recently there were reports that fake Zimbabwe $100 trillion notes were offered for sale, but I believe that mine are not. I also believe that the seller I bought from, at that time was not a collector nor a banknotes dealer, but may have direct connection with Zimbabwe, and was trying to make a profit for selling worthless currencies then. 

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2729353799951276394/5703007571799748383

I am just curious and any comments are most welcome. 

Thanks

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Numista Robot

Hello 🤖

 

Without pictures, it will be very difficult for anyone to help you. Could you please post clear pictures of each side of your item?

 

Please note that this is an automatic message. Feel free to ignore if it is not relevant.

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The ‘ZA’ prefix Replacement notes are always worth a premium above those of the normal notes.

Zimbabwean Specimen notes are in a different league price-wise.

Aidan.

Buy UV lamp tester with at least 7W uv lamp power similar to ones in casinos. It is around 10 euros and it is the only certain way to tell for if money is real. In particular 100 trillion note has unique features that are easy to see under uv light and you can find them online

I have seen the standard issue 100 Billion for sale in UNC at between 100 and 150 Euro on banknote dealer's websites.

 A replacement note would likely be worth more.

This price explosion really baffles me, I bought mine for about 10 bucks and at that time it was worth about 40 cents , already extremely overpriced. Where are all the million upon millions of them that the price could climb that high. Were they all destroyed or are they simply hoarded, similar to large portions of today's supposed inflation price hikes amid record profits.

Prior to that, I also bought 4 sets of the notes of 10 to 100 trillion for just under US$5 in April 2009, and in this purchase I was give the following two notes:

That sounds about right.  These were priced a little more than the Yugoslavian, Hungarian & other hyper inflation currency when they first came out shortly after Zimbabwe hit that hyperinflation highway. I remember when Banknote World started promoting these for about $50-$75/bundles ($0.50 - $0.75 note X100) if you bought half a brick (5 bundles for about $300). When they were selling these by the ½ brick (500) &/or strap (X100) I still thought they were priced too high considering how common they were so I wasn't willing to buy one for $1.00   I still find them unattractive & wouldn't even want to trade one. Imagine how there are thousands of these in UNC & people still seek them. 

 I have seen the standard issue 100 Billion for sale in UNC at between 100 and 150 Euro on banknote dealer's websites.

Last year a collector started a thread similar to the OP  speculating how much it was worth.  I couldn't understand his claim that this common UNC hyperinflation note (a collector buddy flashed around a run of 20 at a show before Covid) could possibly have inflated to $100 USD each! I thought my buddy must be rich! So I checked eBay to check if the claim was true but discovered about 40 BIN listings and not one true auction style (start at 99 cents).  I found that odd. I then started watching Lynn Knight, HA & a few others to see if the market would bear out. I discovered (that only PMG GEM UNC 66 EPQ notes would sell for about $80 - $100) & it continues to astonish me. When 3-6 are listed at the same time they will go for less. I also noticed that a lot of Reddit posts showing it off so I guess it appeals to a certain type who go for sequential serials & quirky stuff. Hard to say/speculate why the popularity.  Never in a million years could I have thought that a bunch of zeros on a hyperinflation note (& a campaign by Banknote World) would get a certain type of collector so interested! It boggles the mind.

Ahkai, I think it would be a good idea to get the UV light as xrp suggested.  If your notes turn out to be legit, you could certify a few. I have not seen the same results for ungraded/raw 100 Trillion notes.  I would suggest you submit your replacement to PMG & hope you get a decent UNC66 grade (which is pretty easy if you haven't handled the note much).  PMG is very generous with its grades! The radar is really cool so I would be wanting to certify that one myself (whether the SM crowd go for it or not- who cares!) That radar is far more appealing than the 100 Trillion IMO.

Idolenz

This price explosion really baffles me, I bought mine for about 10 bucks and at that time it was worth about 40 cents , already extremely overpriced. Where are all the million upon millions of them that the price could climb that high. Were they all destroyed or are they simply hoarded, similar to large portions of today's supposed inflation price hikes amid record profits.

There will be thousands of these stored/hoarded in Safe Deposit Boxes (or locked storage rooms).  I often wonder what Banknote World did with the stock they didn't sell (remember these guys had bricks, than half bricks and bundles on sale).  Countries like Zimbabwe print tens of millions of these.  Most collectors I know don't have such short memories & won't touch them.  The new crowd of collectors don't realize how common they are. 

I have already warned a few of my buddies (who own runs of them) to grade the best & sell asap while the bubble continues to expand.  The craze can't last forever.

I got mine probably from a shipping that never left Germany (where they were printed) as the Central Bank couldn't pay the printer any more and the notes lost most of their value in the time it took to ship them to Zimbabwe. For a gimmick note and a nice gold ink misprint I don't mind the astronomical price I paid too much. But I question the sanity of people shelling out multiples of that price tag.

Myself, I think that the huge denomination, 100 Trillion, has its own appeal which may extend far beyond currency collectors., and bumps up its asking price. I got my own example (sadly not a replacement) for around £5 at one of the London shows when they were appearing in blocks. 

At the time I was date collecting Kenya, and also buying other Africa notes that appealed to me. good old times!

Myself, I think that the huge denomination, 100 Trillion, has its own appeal which may extend far beyond currency collectors.

-Yes, & that's was how Banknote World promoted them (they would be bigger than the hobby).  

I like to use it as an example that rarity can often only be loosely connected to book value. Demand also has become a huge factor & I would even say “sexy factor” which most collectors dismiss (but this super high denomination hints at power/wealth even if it actually is the last bit of evidence of a corrupt/failed regime).  There are other examples.

Less common but the lower denominations were printed in the 10's of millions are Canada's Devil Face series.  It experiences high demand (& high book values) but they're not tough.  The $50 & up are scarcer but the $10, $5, $2 & $1 are plentiful (except in high grade EPQ).  US $500 & $1000 notes are extremely popular amongst non collectors (so in any grade too).   The Seychelles 50 Rupees (& the other denominations) are tough but much more in demand than supply allows too (& there are others). Once again, grade becomes less relevant with these as well.

Speaking of demand, the solid radars (& binary radars) appeal to more than just currency as well.  I never heard of banknotes as an “investment” until the “youtube gurus” promoted this notion too.

Serial_Number_8

 

Ahkai, I think it would be a good idea to get the UV light as xrp suggested.  If your notes turn out to be legit, you could certify a few. I have not seen the same results for ungraded/raw 100 Trillion notes.  I would suggest you submit your replacement to PMG & hope you get a decent UNC66 grade (which is pretty easy if you haven't handled the note much).  PMG is very generous with its grades! The radar is really cool so I would be wanting to certify that one myself (whether the SM crowd go for it or not- who cares!) That radar is far more appealing than the 100 Trillion IMO.

Thank you for your advice. I do have a UV light but I have not tested the note yet. As I said before, I do not believe it's fake, as the for notes I bought for the 100 trillion have the following serial nos - AA2734987, AA3054045-46, and ZA0007031. If I was given all 4 ZA prefix, then I may suspect they are home made. Beside, I got them, not long after it was released, and at that time, there were plenty in the market (eBay). It is unlikely that I have have this graded, as I do not like to store my notes in a sealed hard plastic. For all my collection, I only have 3 notes that are graded, and I bought them as I do not have the notes (no choice).

ahkai

Serial_Number_8

 

Ahkai, I think it would be a good idea to get the UV light as xrp suggested.  If your notes turn out to be legit, you could certify a few. I have not seen the same results for ungraded/raw 100 Trillion notes.  I would suggest you submit your replacement to PMG & hope you get a decent UNC66 grade (which is pretty easy if you haven't handled the note much).  PMG is very generous with its grades! The radar is really cool so I would be wanting to certify that one myself (whether the SM crowd go for it or not- who cares!) That radar is far more appealing than the 100 Trillion IMO.

Thank you for your advice. I do have a UV light but I have not tested the note yet. As I said before, I do not believe it's fake, as the for notes I bought for the 100 trillion have the following serial nos - AA2734987, AA3054045-46, and ZA0007031. If I was given all 4 ZA prefix, then I may suspect they are home made. Beside, I got them, not long after it was released, and at that time, there were plenty in the market (eBay). It is unlikely that I have have this graded, as I do not like to store my notes in a sealed hard plastic. For all my collection, I only have 3 notes that are graded, and I bought them as I do not have the notes (no choice).

Kai, the ‘ZA’ prefix indicates that the note is a Replacement note - & it is worth a premium above the price for the normal note.

Aidan.