101. Philippine FANCY and SOLID SERIAL NUMBERS on Banknotes

The practice of collecting banknotes, referred to as Notaphily, can be traced back to ancient times when banknotes were utilized as a form of currency. People have long appreciated banknotes for their rarity, historical importance, and artistic qualities, leading to the popularity of banknote collecting as a hobby. Today, banknote collecting continues to thrive and has become a widespread pastime, with a thriving market.

In the Philippines, banknote collecting is a popular hobby and there are many ways to collect Philippine banknotes.  One common method is by era, including Spanish notes which are rare, US Administration, WWII, Guerrilla/Emergency notes, English Series, Pilipino Series, Ang Bagong Lipunan Series, New Series, and up to the New Generation series. Another popular way to collect banknotes is by their serial numbers, which are known as “Fancy numbers” or “Solid numbers”. 

There are many ways to collect serial numbers on paper money.  Keep in mind that what is considered desirable to one collector may not be for another. The condition of the note is important as well, because the less circulated the note appears, the greater its value will be. 

For illustration purposes below, only the enlarged serial number portion of the bill will be shown. The serial number occurs twice on the front of every bill and is printed black, red, or blue (scarce color)

SOLID NUMBERS

Where all the numbers are the same, for example, 888888;

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SOLID "9"

 

SOLID  NUMBERS SET including the 1 Million Note

 

SEMI-SOLID

 Where all the numbers are the same, for example, 088888;

RADAR

Where the numbers read the same both forwards and backward, for example, 018810;

NUMBER ONE

The serial number that starts with 000001

LOW NUMBERS

Low serial numbers, for example, 000007 or 000028.

ONE MILLION

Literally 1000000. The “one million” used to be the last number of each prefix. 

LADDER

The numbers in “ladders” go up, such as 123456; while “reverse ladders” just go in the opposite direction, or 654321.

Regular Ladder

Reverse Ladder

REPEATER

Repeating serial number, for example, 141414.

 

DOUBLES

Doubles occur when "pairs" of numbers occur within the serial number

TRIPLES

A triple number occurs 2 times within the serial number.

Sources:

1. Fancy Bank Notes: 10 Most Common Categories by keystonepuzzles

2.  An Introduction to Singapore Fancy Number Banknotes