One of the difficulties of not being an expert in old currency is that you run the risk of being scammed by unscrupulous buyers and sellers, which can be benefitial to them and not to you. By not using a reputable currency dealer, you can easily be taken advantage of and scammed. Antique money must be examined and evaluated by an expert to establish its authenticity, rate its condition, and obtain its value.
There are many ways that a scammer may position themselves to take advantage of the unsuspecting. This can be done through Craigslist, eBay, and other online selling venues. It is up to the buyer or seller to be diligent and make sure that they are dealing with a reputable business. Often, scams will sound very promising until you dig deeper into the offer. Online is not the only way scammers can find you. There are some scammers that set up at antique fairs, flea markets, and even in shops. They will often move around and change their methods quite often.
Take time to research your old currency and get an approximate value. If the deal sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Be careful trading your currency for another currency unless you know exactly the value of the old money being offered to you and its condition. Pay attention to your instincts if it does not feel right take some more time to make sure that you are getting the best deal.
Old currency values can vary greatly considering their condition, rarity, and the current market. These subtleties in the market are best understood by experienced old money dealers who have a pristine reputation. Rare paper currency can be very lucrative for a collector when taken seriously. Another problem is that there are very disreputable people in the world who try to pass off counterfeit rare money as the real thing. With current technologies it has become quite difficult to detect forgeries. An old money dealer is trained to recognize forgeries.
You may think that you can get more for your old money by selling it yourself or that you may get a better deal on your purchases of rare money. Working with a reputable old money dealer, though, will guarantee safer transactions, and you won’t have to worry about being scammed by someone posing to be an authority of old money when they are anything but that.