A vulture reached the summits ...

The cgb.fr Live Auction January 2022 banknotes which ended on Tuesday, included 3 banknotes from Algeria in UNC condition.

• 500 francs Bacchus (#106)
• 500 francs Vautours (#117)
• 10 nouveaux francs Isis (#119)

Banknotes from Algeria are popular. New collectors for these banknotes increase year after year. So we knew that with such condition, the auctions were going to panic. We were not disappointed ! Certainly the ex-owner of these 3 banknotes either ...

The prices realized have exceeded, excluding fees, three times the estimates!

• 500 francs Bacchus, UNC-, sold 2.070 € (fees included) with 4 bidders above 1.400 €.
• 500 francs Vautours, UNC, sold 6.500 € (fees included) with 4 bidders above 3.000 €.
• 10 NF Isis, UNC, sold 4.370 € (fees included) with 5 bidders above 1.300 €.

These 3 results confirm that UNC banknotes are highly wanted. Many of you must be thinking that it will be very difficult to put one in your collection ...

Be patient. These banknotes are not so old (1956, 1958 and 1961). There are still others sleeping somewhere... On the other hand, 9 bidders, it means 8 disappointed! We will find them for sure as soon as another sample will be on sale ...

Let's take a moment to look at the champion, the 500 francs type 1958.

500 francs type 1958

It was issued only the first 4 months of 1958, so only 1 combination of signatures. 316 alphabets.

Each day, 4 alphabets were printed. This is why you have the letters A, B, C and D on either side of the issue date.

On Numizon, we have 60 referenced banknotes.

• The smallest number: G.1 n ° 581
• The highest number: U.314 n ° 960 (it is currently available for sale. But it is in poor condition ...).

A rare banknote in UNC condition.

Of the 60 banknotes, only 3 in UNC condition: V.14, G.17 and of course the new K.25.

Note, that there is a 68 EPQ one referenced on PMG while there is neither 65, nor 66, nor 67 ...

Small aside - Watch out for grade 62!

By looking more closely at the banknotes in Numizon regarding the 500 francs Algeria 1958, we see that a bundle pinned with traces of rust, was found on the alphabet V.17.

The most beautiful were flattened and sent to PMG. They came back in grade 62 (the lowest grade of "Uncirculated") because no fold was discovered.

This is why we think that we should always prefer a 58 EPQ condition (= just a light fold but a good quality of paper), rather than a grade 62 (no fold but with defect in the quality of the paper). You will have more guarantee that the banknote has not been cleaned.

Below V.17 n ° 274 and 285 (the ends of the bundle)

... et 2 samples of graded ones (n°281 and 285).

Conclusion

• When we clean a banknote to increase its value, we could at least remove a rust stain!
• We think that this beautiful note would perhaps indeed have deserved a little treatment to reduce the rust stain but on the other hand, it was necessary to keep the freshness of the paper and not clean it!