What size does a pin hole have to be to still be considered a pin hole and not a hole? And are pinholes by definition tiny and round? If it's an odd shaped "pinhole" is then not a pinhole anymore? And lastly, are pinholes only visible when held up to the light? If you can see a pinhole form arm's length is it no longer a pinhole but a hole? I know a lot of people won't collect pinhole notes but I'm not completely averse to them as it's kind of a bit of history to me... that's just the way they did things back then, pinning note together.. so anyway... Just wondering...
I'll really try to help- pinholes or PH are pretty common especially in older notes. Back in the early 20th century not everybody had cash registers so notes were often put on a board with one or two nails through it. There are also notes that were stapled(A practice in France and India until recently in fact). With older notes ie before the 1920s in circulated grades they will knock the grade down by a factor of one for minor PH, more for more than one. Where pinholes are really a problem grading wise is with newer notes where they shouldn't be so common. Being that I collect older, larger sized denominations from France - it can be very challenging to find anything without some sort of PH present.
A pinhole is called a pinhole because the hole is small, as if made by a pin, which it was. Pinholes are tiny and round and 1 pinhole can cause a bill, any bill, to be worth a lot less. The more pinholes, the greater the damage. If the hole is larger than the size of a pin then it is no longer considered a pinhole. It's a hole and a hole is usually round but can be other shapes. A hole is a hole and that is by far worse than a pinhole. A pinhole is a pinhole. It doesn't matter if light can be seen through it or not. It doesn't matter if it's visible at arm's length or not. It's still a hole made by a pin. I collect CSA notes and a lot of them have pinholes. Some still, worth several thousand dollars, a lot more if no pinholes. Understand?
It's hard to add anything to the above explanation. Very well put. Staple holes are also considered pinholes.
Ok thanks.. I just wasn't sure if a hole initially made by a pin that had gotten larger was still classified as a pinhole and/or if there were degrees like there is say, in a VF grade, VF 20, VF 25, VF 30 etc but they are all still VF.. I'll take it that once a hole is no longer the size of a pin head it has moved on to the category of a hole or tear or damage
A hole is a hole and will reduce the grade (and the price,of course). However, there are times when a hole and/or other damage means little. This note is one of my favorites; it's not rare, not expensive, not anything but it is == == a Katrina survivor ==
How about any writing in pencil on a note? Is that a minor or major detriment? I saw a note in really nice shape I liked but it had the number "200" lightly written on it in pencil and wasn't sure if that would drop the grade down at all and/or I could negotiate a lower price for it... Thanks in advance for any advice... Just trying to increase my knowledge on grading and currency etc...
Yes, it is Post Printing Damage. Most pencil marks can be erased but it lightens the paper in that area but makes it more eye appealing but it is still damage. Even a light pencil mark can leave the fibers of the paper pressed in a with a little magnifier the damage can still be seen.
