Paper money catalog

A paper money catalog or banknote catalog (or catalogue) is a catalog of banknotes and articles related to notable ones. The catalog is an essential tool of collecting as it provides information about the articles that many times cannot be extracted from them directly, such as the amount of banknotes printed.

In the 1950s, Robert Friedberg published the Paper Money of the United States. Friedberg devised an organizing number system of all types of U.S. banknotes; the system is widely accepted among collectors and dealers to this day, and the volume has been regularly updated.

Another pioneer of cataloging banknotes was Albert Pick, a well-known German notaphilist (born 15 May 1922 in Cologne) who published a number of catalogs of European paper money, and, in 1974, the first Standard Catalog of World Paper Money. His collection of over 180,000 banknotes was eventually housed at the Bavarian Mortgages and Exchange Bank (Bayerischen Hypotheken- und Wechselbank, now HypoVereinsbank). This catalog underwent several incarnations, and currently is published as a three volume group. Volume I, called Specialized Issues, includes notes issued by local authorities, which circulated in a limited area. Volume II called General Issues covers notes issued on a national scope, dated 1368 through 1960. Volume III covers Modern Issues dated 1960 to present. Each of the volumes is updated regularly, with Volume III now updated every year, Volumes I and II every 3 or so years. While Pick no longer edits the catalogs (since 1994 the honor has passed to George S. Cuhaj), the catalogs are still commonly referred to as 'Pick Catalogs' and dealers and collectors alike refer to banknotes by their 'Pick number.' Current issues of the three volumes include:

• Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Specialized Issues (10th Ed. Vol. 1) by George S. Cuhaj. Paperback - 1200 pages. (January 2006).
• Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: General Issues to 1368-1960 (11th Ed. Vol. 2) by George S. Cuhaj (Editor). (December 2006).
• Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues, 1961–present (14th Ed. Vol. 3) by George S. Cuhaj. (June 2008).

A recent addition, Colnect's banknote catalog has been launched in 2009. Unlike the aforementioned catalogs, it's only available online and is created by collectors. It currently lists over 16,000 banknotes from 255 different locations.

In 2011, BanknoteNews.com began publishing The Banknote Book, a new catalog of world notes. Unlike the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, The Banknote Book is available exclusively as high-resolution full-color PDF files, allowing the publisher to ensure that its contents are up-to-date, comprehensive, and correct. As of early 2012, over 115 chapters were available (documenting thousands of notes not listed in the SCWPM), with new chapters published weekly. Chapters can be purchased individually, or collectors can obtain access to all chapters with an annual subscription.

See also

• Paper money collecting
• Standard Catalog of World Paper Money
• Colnect