GRADING, BUYING & 

SHIPPING PAGE

SHIPPING CHARGES

                                I usually ship within 24 - 48 hrs of receipt of order. However, due to my real job I can be away for up to 48 hrs. It's rare but it does happen occasionally. In these cases your order will be shipped as soon as possible after I get back in town.

                            The following rates apply for US orders only. For all orders totaling under $49.99, $6.00 will be added to the sales total. For all orders that total between $50.00 and $99.99, $7.25 will be added to the sales total. Finally for all orders that total over $100.00, $8.25 will be added to the sales total. All items are shipped insured and / or with delivery confirmation.

                                   The following rates apply for Non - US orders. For all orders totaling under $49.99, $7.25 will be added to the sales total. For all orders that total between $50.00 and $99.99, $8.25 will be added to the sales total. Finally for all orders that total over $100.00, $10.00 will be added to the sales total.

                                    If you are ordering outside of US, merchandise is sent at buyer's risk as the above rates do not include registration / insurance. If you want registration / insurance the cost is $18.00.  Select "World" during checkout.

                               All rates should be included with PayPal checkout.

I AM BUYING

                            I buy US and non - US coins and paper money, tokens, error notes, packs of consecutive notes, military money, specimen notes, US mint items, error coins, pre 1970 rolls of coins, etc.. I also buy war memorabilia such as medals, documents and anything relating to US wars. I buy old documents, certificates, checks, old tickets and any older paper in general if it has any interest. Due to time and space constraints I cannot list everything I am buying individually.

                           Please - email me with a list of what you want to sell.  

A WORD ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE BUYING

                        All items are guaranteed genuine or as described or as seen in pics. Any major defects not seen in pictures will be conveyed to you in the item description. What you see in the scan is what you get, except with some paper notes. There I may have multiples, so at times serial numbers will vary.

                        All items have a 5 day return privilege.

                       Grading of items is based on my experience, opinion and judgment. I am a conservative grader. I have yet to have anything returned, which says a lot about my grading. I have bought many items over the internet, from other web sites, large auction houses and even other dealers. Sad to say, many people's grading, for what ever reason, falls short when compared to mine. If it Grade's Fine then it Grade's Fine, Not Very Fine. If it is AU it is not CU with a corner ding. That is why I have so many  "AU" and "AU +" grades. My AU + grade is like the majority of Unc's  and CU's that I have seen. This philosophy carries over into everything that I grade. Whether it's comics, postcards, tobacco cards etc. I'd rather be conservative and have a happy customer, than over grade something and lose a customer.

                        Buy with confidence, you will not be disappointed. 

GRADING OF NOTES

UNCIRCULATED : (UNC, CU) : A perfectly preserved note, never mishandled by the issuing authority, a bank teller, the public or a collector. Paper is clean and firm, without discoloration. Corners are sharp and square, without any evidence of rounding, folding or bending. No light handling is present, no compromise, a perfect note. An uncirculated note will have its original, natural sheen.

ABOUT UNCIRCULATED : (AU) : A virtually perfect note, with some minor handling. May show very slight evidence of bank counting folds at a corner or one light fold through the center, but not both. An AU note can not be creased, a crease being a hard fold which has usually "broken" the surface of the note. Paper is clean and bright with original sheen. Corners are not rounded.

EXTREMELY FINE : (EF, XF) : A very attractive note, with light handling. May have a maximum of three light folds or
one strong crease. Paper is clean and bright with original sheen. Corners may show only the slightest evidence of
rounding. There may also be the slightest sign of wear where a fold meets the edge.

VERY FINE : (VF) : An attractive note, but with more evidence of handling and wear. May have several folds both
vertically and horizontally. Paper may have minimal dirt, or possible colour smudging. Paper itself is still relatively
crisp and floppy. There are no tears into the border area, although the edges do show slight wear. Corners also show
wear but not full rounding.

FINE : (F) : A note which shows considerable circulation, with many folds, creases and wrinkling. Paper is not excessively dirty but may have some softness. Edges may show much handling, with minor tears in the border area. Tears may not extend into the design. There will be no center hole because of excessive folding. Colours are clear but not very bright. A staple hole or two would not be considered unusual wear in a Fine F note. Overall appearance is still on the desirable side.

VERY GOOD : (VG) : A well used note, abused but still intact. Corners may have much wear and rounding, tiny nicks, tears may extend into the design, some discoloration may be present, staining may have occurred, and a small hole may
sometimes be seen at center from excessive folding. Staple holes and pinholes are usually present, and the note
itself is quite limp but NO pieces of the note can be missing. A note in VG condition may still have an overall not
unattractive appearance.

GOOD : (G) : A well worn and heavily used note. Normal damage from prolonged circulation will include strong multiple
folds and creases, stains, pinholes and/or staple holes, dirt, discoloration, edge tears, center hole, rounded corners
and an overall unattractive appearance. No large pieces of the note may be missing. Graffiti is commonly seen on
notes in G condition.

FAIR : (FR) : A totally limp, dirty and very well used note. Larger pieces may be half torn off or missing besides the
defects mentioned under the Good category. Tears will be larger, obscured portions of the note will be bigger.

POOR : (PR) : A "rag" with severe damage because of wear, staining, pieces missing, graffiti, larger holes. May have
tape holding pieces of the note together. Trimming may have taken place to remove rough edges. A Poor note is
desirable only as a "filler" or when such a note is the only one known of that particular issue.

GRADING OF TOBACCO CARDS

Mint : (MT) : A perfect card. Well-centered, with parallel borders which appear equal to the naked eye. Four sharp, square corners. No creases, edge dents, surface scratches, paper flaws, loss of luster, yellowing or fading, regardless of age. No imperfectly printed card, out of register, badly cut, ink flawed or card stained by contact with gum, wax or other substances can be considered truly Mint, even if new out of the pack. Generally, to be considered in Mint condition, a card's borders must exist in a ratio of 60/40 side to side and top to bottom.

Near Mint : (NR MT) : A nearly perfectly card. At first glance, a Near Mint card appears perfect; upon closer examination, however, a minor flaw will be discovered. On well-centered cards, three of the four corners must be perfectly sharp; only one corner shows a minor imperfection upon close inspection.

Excellent : (EX) : Corners are still fairly sharp with only moderate wear. Card borders may be off center as much as 80/20. No creases. May have very minor gum, wax or product stains, front or back. Surfaces may show slight loss of luster from rubbing across other cards.

Very Good : (VG) : Shows obvious handling. Corners rounded and/or perhaps showing minor creases. Other minor creases may be visible. Surfaces may exhibit loss of luster, but all printing is intact. May show major gum, wax or other packaging stains. No major creases, tape marks or extraneous markings or writing. All four borders visible, though the ratio may be as poor as 95/5. Exhibits honest wear.

Good : (G) : A well-worn card, but exhibits no intentional damage or abuse. May have major or multiple creases. Corners rounded well beyond the border.

Fair : (F or Fr.) : Shows excessive wear, along with damage or abuse. Will show all the wear characteristics of a Good card, along with such damage as thumb tack holes in or near margins, evidence of having been taped or pasted, perhaps small tears around the edges, or creases so heavy as to break the cardboard. Backs may show minor added pen or pencil writing, or be missing small bits of paper. Still, basically a complete card.

POOR : (PR) : A card that has been tortured to death. Corners or other areas may be torn off. Card may have been trimmed, show holes from a paper punch or have been used for BB gun practice or in bicycle spokes. Front may have extraneous pen or pencil writing, or other defacement. Major portions of front or back design may be missing. Not a pretty sight.

GRADING OF POSTCARDS & VICTORIAN TRADE CARDS

This rating system is used for older or antique postcards.

Mint : (MT) : A perfect card just as it comes from the printing press.  No marks, bends, or creases. No writing or postmarks.  A clean and fresh card.  Seldom seen.

Near Mint : (NR MT) : Like Mint but very light aging or very slight discoloration from being in an album for many years.  Not as sharp or crisp.

Excellent : (EX) : Like mint in appearance with no bends or creases, or rounded or blunt corners.  May be postally used or unused and with writing and postmark only on the address side.  A clean, fresh card on the picture side.

Very Good : (VG) : Corners may be a bit blunt or rounded.  Almost undetectable crease or bend that does not detract from overall appearance of the picture side.  May have writing or postally used on address side.

Good : (G) : Corners may be noticeably blunt or rounded with noticeably slight bends or creases.  May be postally used or have writing on the address side.

Fair : (F or Fr.) : Card is intact.  Excess soil, stains, creases, writing, or cancellation may affect picture.  Could be a scarce card that is difficult to find in any condition. Just about in a collectible state.

POOR : (PR) : The card's image has been compromised and has other apparent damages. Such cards are usually not sought out by serious collectors. However, if the image is very rare or the card has a unique history (for example, if it contains a handwritten message from a celebrity), then you may still wish to sell or buy a 'poor' card.

GRADING OF SHEET MUSIC

Mint : (MT) : As New.

Near Mint : (NR MT) : Nearly perfect. At first glance, a near mint sheet appears perfect but upon closer examination, some minor flaws will be discovered. Such as very minor wear or a blunt corner or two.

Excellent : (EX) : Under close examination may show minor flaws or light wear.

Very Good : (VG) : Obviously second hand. May have minor tears, scuff marks, light staining, pencil marks, minor water damage and folds. In short small minor defects.

Good : (G) : Has a greater degree of above defects. It still is a good copy until a better one comes along.

Fair : (F or Fr.) : Has major flaws.