Having handled the Eldorado Collection, and the Rosenman collection just last year, we certainly aren’t strangers to rare Latin American paper money. Even still, I have been in awe of these notes since I first laid eyes on them. I don’t quite feel as though my voice alone should properly present this section so I reached out to a dear friend of mine, no stranger to rare notes, who belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of World Paper Money. He lends his voice here to properly introduce this collection.
Foreword to this Costa Rica selection by Pablo Hoffman of Nuevo Mundo World Paper Money
I have been into paper money as Nuevo Mundo World Paper Money for a very long time. Costa Rica has always been one of my favorite countries to collect and deal in. I’ve seen a lot of Costa Rica notes… a LOT. However, when the group in the upcoming Stacks Bowers auction came along, I was stunned. This group includes not one or two, but many notes I have never seen before, and quite a few that I know are unlikely to exist in any collection, anywhere.
When the Frederick R. Mayer collection of Costa Rican banknotes was sold in New York City in 2008, I was there. It was thought at that time to be the pinnacle presentation of Costa Rican banknotes ever brought to light. And yet once again in New York City this January, Stack’s Bowers Galleries and its Director of World Currency Auctions, Aris Maragoudakis, will bring to auction a new milestone in Costa Rica numismatic history and the collecting of its banknotes.
Collector interest in Costa Rican banknotes has been gradually but steadily ramping up over recent years. It seems likely that we may soon see a new impetus “right off the charts.” Buckle up, because we are about to see spectacular items never before seen and accurately described in a major public auction. There are issuers never before seen. There are signed and dated examples where previously only specimens or proofs were known. There are denominations and varieties previously unknown. And there are unique pieces that will surface here, and are likely to pass into the most powerful collections on the planet, probably never to be seen again in our lifetimes.
The auction sale of this historic collection will take place at the New York International Numismatic Convention in January, 2024. I certainly plan to be there… come say hello! As a favor, I am making myself available through Stack’s Bowers Galleries to discuss with you collectors and share our thoughts about some of these specific notes. (Please set up through Aris)
Pablo Hoffman, Nuevo Mundo World Paper Money, New York City
