Welcome!

Welcome to Imperial Banknotes, a blog that explores the banknotes of the empires of Europe issued up to the end of World War I in 1918.  With World War I came the collapse of the old order and many of the the great empires that controlled the European continent, in some cases for centuries.  These empires left a legacy in the form of the many and varied banknotes that were issued in their names.

The banknotes of the empires of Old Europe provide a rich and exciting opportunity for the  collector.  Many of these historic notes can be obtained with relative ease, as the hobby of collecting world banknotes lags far behind that of U.S. banknotes, U.S. coins, and even world coins.  Only in the last 30 years has the world banknote hobby begun to gain serious momentum, and this growth will only continue as more and more people learn about the unique opportunities that it holds.

This blog will help both the novice and experienced collector alike delve deeper into the realm of world banknote collecting, with a specific focus on the empires of old Europe--i.e. The Russian Empire, The German Empire, The Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the British Empire.  By drawing attention to specific issues, as well as discussing broader industry issues and historical background, I hope to aid you in  a new collecting journey.

--Jay