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Finally Found One! $5 FRN 1985 New York Star Note

Paid way over book, but very rare. A lot of collectors have never seen a $5 FRN 1985 B-Star.



Now I need to find the $5 FRN 1988-A F-Star (FW) in CU to have all the tough modern $5 FRNs in CU condition (if you exclude the unreported $5 1981 A-Star).



image
Jim Hodgson



Collector of US Small Size currency, Atlanta FRNs, and Georgia nationals since 1977. Researcher of small size US type - seeking serial number data for all FRN star notes, Series 1928 to 1934-D. Life member SPMC.



Comments

  • TookybanditTookybandit Posts: 3,410 ✭✭✭✭
    Congratulations Jim!!!
  • KT5SilverKT5Silver Posts: 162 ✭✭✭
    Incredible Find!!!

    image
  • Jim61Jim61 Posts: 986 ✭✭✭
    WOW! Super! Congrats! image


    Jim61

    Looking for $1 CU FRN radar 16566561 - NOT ANY MORE, THANK YOU delistamps and TheRock!

    Looking for $1 CU FRN radar 16977961.

    Looking for $1 CU FRN 99999961 - NOT ANY MORE, THANK YOU delistamps!

    Looking for $50 FRN 00000061
  • larry510larry510 Posts: 566 ✭✭
    Cool find!
  • luckybucksluckybucks Posts: 1,318 ✭✭✭
    Outstanding find.



    I am aware of a $5 1985 B* selling at several thousand dollars.



    Post your set when you get a chance.
  • Steve_in_TampaSteve_in_Tampa Posts: 1,803 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You always seem to find the coolest notes Jim, congratulations on a very nice find sir.
  • TennisCoachTennisCoach Posts: 301 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: mbwizkid

    You always seem to find the coolest notes Jim, congratulations on a very nice find sir.




    Couldn't have said it better +1



    Family, Neighborhood, Community,
    make the World a better place.

  • gnatgnat Posts: 392 ✭✭✭
    A very rare modern note. Congratulations on finding such a nice example.
  • TIPPAHNUMTIPPAHNUM Posts: 79 ✭✭✭




    A modern Rare find ! Your persistence to seek out these really tuff FRN's and share them along with your knowledge & enthusiasm to this collecting community is much appreciated. Congrats !
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "having money's not everything and not having it is."

    -Kanye West

  • Great pickup Jim!

    That is one sweet note!!!

    Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, even if you have to close your eyes when handing the money over. LOL
  • boimre1972boimre1972 Posts: 262 ✭✭✭
    image
    Mike
    Collecting small-size star notes.
    Mishawaka, IN
  • TigerTraderTigerTrader Posts: 249 ✭✭✭
    Been lurking a bit lately but this one certainly caught my attention as I collect the 1985 series in all denoms for all districts, stars and non stars....





    Thank you for sharing this prize with us. I enjoyed seeing it and it is an outstanding example!



    To say I am jealous would be an understatement...



  • Originally posted by: SmallSizedGuy

    Paid way over book, but very rare. A lot of collectors have never seen a $5 FRN 1985 B-Star....





    Congrats on filling a tough hole. You can justify overpaying like I do, average what you paid for all the notes in the series together and this one will not seem like such an over payment after all. image Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet....
    Come and see a forgotten piece of history.....

    http://www.depressionscrip.com



    Always looking for more depression scrip -- PM me if you have any for sale or trade
  • SmallSizedGuySmallSizedGuy Posts: 503 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: TigerTrader

    ...I collect the 1985 series in all denoms for all districts, stars and non stars....







    Here is my E-Star:



    image
    Jim Hodgson



    Collector of US Small Size currency, Atlanta FRNs, and Georgia nationals since 1977. Researcher of small size US type - seeking serial number data for all FRN star notes, Series 1928 to 1934-D. Life member SPMC.



  • luckybucksluckybucks Posts: 1,318 ✭✭✭
    Very nice E*.



    Nobody know the true rarity of these notes. I had a shot at purchasing one back around 2002, and didn't. I am kicking myself now for that one.... :c (



    The B* and E* combined are on par with a circulated series 1933 $10 SC (IMO).



  • GoldeneyeGoldeneye Posts: 14 ✭✭
    Would a circulated example of the 1985 $5 B* be worth as much as $1,000 these days? Mind you, given that we've rarely hear such examples out there, I'd say that it would hard pressed to go much under $500 for a circulated example...

    I should also add, that back when this was printed, in late 1988-early 1989, $5 did buy quite a bit - mind you, that daily newspaper still cost a quarter then!
  • Jim61Jim61 Posts: 986 ✭✭✭
    Amazing 1985 $5 star notes. Thanks for sharing what I have not seem.


    Jim61

    Looking for $1 CU FRN radar 16566561 - NOT ANY MORE, THANK YOU delistamps and TheRock!

    Looking for $1 CU FRN radar 16977961.

    Looking for $1 CU FRN 99999961 - NOT ANY MORE, THANK YOU delistamps!

    Looking for $50 FRN 00000061
  • luckybucksluckybucks Posts: 1,318 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: Goldeneye

    Would a circulated example of the 1985 $5 B* be worth as much as $1,000 these days? Mind you, given that we've rarely hear such examples out there, I'd say that it would hard pressed to go much under $500 for a circulated example...



    I should also add, that back when this was printed, in late 1988-early 1989, $5 did buy quite a bit - mind you, that daily newspaper still cost a quarter then!





    I would say quite possibly $1000 is not out of the question. I know of a private sale of a B* fetching $5,000 (probably more the exception than the rule on that sale).



    Don't knock the E*. A well known dealer had one, at $1,950, and it sold. Those are the two keys.



    Don't ask me why they go for those prices, I have no clue.
  • TennisCoachTennisCoach Posts: 301 ✭✭✭
    Outstanding Example of a 1985 E* It is rare to see this pair of Star notes in such great condition. Well done Jim!

    Family, Neighborhood, Community,
    make the World a better place.

  • KT5SilverKT5Silver Posts: 162 ✭✭✭
    Jim,
    When you showed the B* I was happy for you. Now that you show the E* - I am no longer happy for you.
    You are this week's winner of the you suck award.
    If you have this many incredible notes then there are very few left for the rest of us. As of today, I am introducing a law
    on the Senate floor that will prohibit you from buying any additional $5 small size notes during a three years probationary period.

    image
  • johnny9434johnny9434 Posts: 27,409 ✭✭✭✭✭
    nice pick up
  • TigerTraderTigerTrader Posts: 249 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: SmallSizedGuy

    Originally posted by: TigerTrader

    ...I collect the 1985 series in all denoms for all districts, stars and non stars....







    Here is my E-Star:



    image






    WOW! That is an epic note!



    Sincerely thank you for sharing it! image







    And Kraig, that's hilarious!
  • SmallSizedGuySmallSizedGuy Posts: 503 ✭✭✭
    An interesting observation concerning the printing of the 1985 E-Star.



    Reported printing is 1.28 million notes, so all observed serial numbers should be in the range of 0xx60001 to 0xx00000 - a serial number greater than a 60,000 ending. However, the three notes I have recorded have a greater than 92,000 ending.



    With 1.28 million notes printed, the E-Star should be easier to find. With serial numbers observed being greater than 92,000, the reporting printing figure could be incorrect.



    Anyone have any serial numbers to report?
    Jim Hodgson



    Collector of US Small Size currency, Atlanta FRNs, and Georgia nationals since 1977. Researcher of small size US type - seeking serial number data for all FRN star notes, Series 1928 to 1934-D. Life member SPMC.



  • luckybucksluckybucks Posts: 1,318 ✭✭✭
    I know of E01294903*. FP E2 / E313: BP 209.
  • SmallSizedGuySmallSizedGuy Posts: 503 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: luckybucks

    I know of E01294903*. FP E2 / E313: BP 209.




    I have that note and the two I own as the only notes I have observed. According to PMG there is also a 64 EPQ and 66 EPQ. I don't have access to the PCGS database.
    Jim Hodgson



    Collector of US Small Size currency, Atlanta FRNs, and Georgia nationals since 1977. Researcher of small size US type - seeking serial number data for all FRN star notes, Series 1928 to 1934-D. Life member SPMC.



  • Originally posted by: SmallSizedGuy
    An interesting observation concerning the printing of the 1985 E-Star.

    Reported printing is 1.28 million notes, so all observed serial numbers should be in the range of 0xx60001 to 0xx00000 - a serial number greater than a 60,000 ending. However, the three notes I have recorded have a greater than 92,000 ending.

    With 1.28 million notes printed, the E-Star should be easier to find. With serial numbers observed being greater than 92,000, the reporting printing figure could be incorrect.

    Anyone have any serial numbers to report?


    Another possible explanation is that the reported printing figure was correct but that only 8,000 of the 40,000 sheets were used while the remaining 32,000 sheets were destroyed by the BEP for some reason. However, the production information that is known supports your conjecture.

    The BEP reports did not identify whether E* was a note-replacement run or a sheet-replacement run, so we're left to guess. But if F* run 1 (the short star run that preceded E* run 1) was a sheet-replacement run, F* would have been exhausted right about the time that E* was produced, suggesting that E* was the next sheet-replacement run. And if G* run 2 (the short run star that followed E* run 1) was also a sheet-replacement run, approximately 8,000 sheets from E* would have been used right about the time that G* was produced. That 8,000-sheet figure is in agreement with your observations of notes with serials ending in 92,000+. Moreover, 40,000 sheets is extraordinarily high for a sheet-replacement run. That many sheets would have been sufficient to supply the remainder of the series and probably the next. So the 40,000-sheet figure (1.28 million notes) is definitely suspect.
  • luckybucksluckybucks Posts: 1,318 ✭✭✭
    Perhaps this is yet another one of the skip numbered printings, and the actual total is 256,000 notes ??
  • That's right, the E* run was produced during the era when multiple gaps occurred within the assigned serial range whenever a standard-size star run was not needed. Yes, if only 8,000 sheets were serialed, the total number of notes produced was 256,000.
  • SmallSizedGuySmallSizedGuy Posts: 503 ✭✭✭
    However, I have only three observations. We need more data to verify.
    Jim Hodgson



    Collector of US Small Size currency, Atlanta FRNs, and Georgia nationals since 1977. Researcher of small size US type - seeking serial number data for all FRN star notes, Series 1928 to 1934-D. Life member SPMC.



  • luckybucksluckybucks Posts: 1,318 ✭✭✭
    I emailed Derek Moffitt a few days ago, here is his reply:



    "Being above 1,280,000 isn't surprising. If the run was actually 1,280,000, then the serials printed would be



    00060001 - 00100000 in position A1

    00160001 - 00200000 in position B1

    00260001 - 00300000 in position C1

    ...

    03160001 - 03200000 in position H4



    so the last five digits are always 60001 or higher, but the first three digits cover all the possibilities from 000 to 031.



    (If the last five digits are really just 92001 and higher, then that's 8000 notes per position, which would make the whole run just 256,000 notes. But the H4 position would still get serials starting at 03192001, even though most serials below that weren't used.)"



    With the lack of known examples, I doubt that all of the serials were used, so 256,000 is very likely the actual printing. More observations will confirm this.

  • oklahomadannyoklahomadanny Posts: 172 ✭✭✭

    Revived for further discussion.

    imageimageimage

    Dad 1916-2014
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