Are any of these worth getting graded?

Planning to sell these banknotes and need some guidance as to which ones, if any, would be worth getting graded (i.e. would the value-add of grading outweigh the cost).

Any suggestions are welcome - thanks in advance!

One opinion:

For the 10,000 yuan note, yes, a grade will likely give you increased selling value if you can find a buyer.

The others, no, will not add enough value to justify the cost of grading.  Especially the 1962 notes--you will almost certainly be throwing money out the window to grade those.

Thanks for the response - very helpful! 

My take:

I only submit notes that I wish to keep (in my private collection to fit my albums), or have a minimum $ value, or are in AU to UNC GEM (EPQ).  I have bought several TPG (Third Party Graded) notes for less than what I paid for a raw/ungraded note, so I am fairly confident that certifying a note does NOT make a note sell for more.  Certification may make one's note more liquid (easier to sell) down the road but that's about it. It gives the owner/buyer more confidence that the note is legit, well preserved & probably “such & such” grade. Since your notes are from China, that could make it worth your while. If your note(s) are put up for auction TPG may be the way to go.

I feel that getting more $ for your notes depends more on the venue (where or what platform you decide to sell). Good photos, scans & correct descriptions are essential. Notes up for auction at Spinks, Stacks, Bowers Galleries, HA or some other big auction house will do better than notes sold on eBay. All of the big auction houses require TPG but if you're selling privately then you don't need to go through the cost/hassle.  

The collectibles market is heavily influenced by state of a nation's economy, inflation, world events, (external factors) etc. These external factors could also weigh heavily on what the final price of your set sells for.    

Good luck & let us know what you decide!

This is extremely helpful - excellent knowledge that I didn’t previously have. Thanks a lot for taking the time!

gyoschak

One opinion:

For the 10,000 yuan note, yes, a grade will likely give you increased selling value if you can find a buyer.

The others, no, will not add enough value to justify the cost of grading.  Especially the 1962 notes--you will almost certainly be throwing money out the window to grade those.

Thanks for the response - very helpful! 

Serial_Number_8

My take:

I only submit notes that I wish to keep (in my private collection to fit my albums), or have a minimum $ value, or are in AU to UNC GEM (EPQ).  I have bought several TPG (Third Party Graded) notes for less than what I paid for a raw/ungraded note, so I am fairly confident that certifying a note does NOT make a note sell for more.  Certification may make one's note more liquid (easier to sell) down the road but that's about it. It gives the owner/buyer more confidence that the note is legit, well preserved & probably “such & such” grade. Since your notes are from China, that could make it worth your while. If your note(s) are put up for auction TPG may be the way to go.

 

I feel that getting more $ for your notes depends more on the venue (where or what platform you decide to sell). Good photos, scans & correct descriptions are essential. Notes up for auction at Spinks, Stacks, Bowers Galleries, HA or some other big auction house will do better than notes sold on eBay. All of the big auction houses require TPG but if you're selling privately then you don't need to go through the cost/hassle.  

 

The collectibles market is heavily influenced by state of a nation's economy, inflation, world events, (external factors) etc. These external factors could also weigh heavily on what the final price of your set sells for.    

 

Good luck & let us know what you decide!

Your comment was so brilliant, that I have copied this into a Google document and stored it for future reference.

No kidding, I can tell, from the clear and concise way in which you have written this that you have extensive experience in this field. I can personally vouch for one of your statements in which you say that you have managed to buy TPG notes for cheaper than ungraded/raw notes - I too have experienced this a few times.

I have something to add as well - when you mention about selling from platforms like Spinks, HA etc.. as a buyer, I can vouch both ways. Its a fifty-fifty chance that you get a note cheaper on these platforms than on eBay. It depends on several factors such as time of day the auction is conducted, sometimes on the day of week as well as just pure luck of being only one of two motivated buers, with the other buyer not being able to afford it.

There are several occasions where I have managed to procure very high grade notes, cheaper than eBay.

On the flip side, its also easier to get carried away and paint yourself into a corner by getting too excited (dont ask me how I know this), and paying more than the fair price of the note.

Further to add: I feel like such an ignoramus. I had a look at your profile and the wealth of information you have posted in relation to notaphily and can see the tremendous chasm that exists between me and so many other knowledgeable collectors 😝

That makes two of us! We are lucky to have such experienced and dedicated folks in the space. 

ruler.of.kutch

Serial_Number_8

My take:

I only submit notes that I wish to keep (in my private collection to fit my albums), or have a minimum $ value, or are in AU to UNC GEM (EPQ).  ..  

Good luck & let us know what you decide!

Your comment was so brilliant, that I have copied this into a Google document and stored it for future reference.

No kidding, I can tell, from the clear and concise way in which you have written this that you have extensive experience in this field. I can personally vouch for one of your statements in which you say that you have managed to buy TPG notes for cheaper than ungraded/raw notes - I too have experienced this a few times.

 

I have something to add as well - when you mention about selling from platforms like Spinks, HA etc.. as a buyer, I can vouch both ways. Its a fifty-fifty chance that you get a note cheaper on these platforms than on eBay. It depends on several factors such as time of day the auction is conducted, sometimes on the day of week as well as just pure luck of being only one of two motivated buers, with the other buyer not being able to afford it.

There are several occasions where I have managed to procure very high grade notes, cheaper than eBay.

On the flip side, its also easier to get carried away and paint yourself into a corner by getting too excited (dont ask me how I know this), and paying more than the fair price of the note.

Thank you! It is possible too, that I have been fortunate (& passionate enough) to have taken notice of a few price trends (from eBay), to bid on slow cycles, or when there is more than 1 of the same note listed, on the lower graded listing (rather than the super gem) & to stick with World Banknote Auctions (which only had a 15% buyer's premium).  Sadly they were bought out by SBG. And yes, there is a flip side, especially if you don't stick to your budget. I also believe that part of getting graded notes cheaper by auction (rather than eBay) is partly due to the inflated prices on eBay (which used to be so inexpensive). Unfortunately, sellers have high seller's fees, so…

That makes two of us! We are lucky to have such experienced and dedicated folks in the space. 

I remember 24 years ago, when I first got back into this hobby, I thought I knew a few things about collecting. If I saw this thread after I started a grading binge, I probably would have answered differently.   I did not know very much about grading back then & most of what I thought “I knew about the hobby" was rubbish! The next 20 years was an expensive learning curve for me & that is why I started my hobby site Notaphilyc Culture back in 2019.  I started partly due to the rubbish I read on some social media sites & also to satisfy the teacher in me. 

Many of your notes nms are in high demand & appear to be lovely high grade examples. The problem is the dark scans (& asking whether “to grade or not” always leads to an open ended answer which is entirely up to you, your budget & time frame needed to sell). It is very difficult to judge the notes' condition from scans but if you believe they're original (not pressed) & worth submitting then you should probably go for it.  But before you do, why not take a look at my PMG submission results & the video I've included on that page to see if its right for you.