The April 30 World Paper Money Fair Signature Auction from Heritage Auctions features two different offerings from noted collector Yuri Solovey, an investor, and businessman with a passion for traveling and culture who is drawn to paper money because of its artistry and history. His penchant for banknotes began as he encountered the varied circulating currencies in his travels around the world, each time bringing circulating examples home with him. His traveling pursuits are a serious endeavor, having tallied visits to 132 countries, including locales that are nearly inaccessible due to politics or sheer remoteness.
Few globetrotters have logged the travels that Yuri has, including North Korea, Kiribati, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, the Federated States of Micronesia, Burkina Faso, and, most recently, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. The understanding of cultures and experiences gained through travel make collecting world banknotes a perfect complement to Yuri’s life of adventurous global exploration.
This auction features two of Mr. Solovey’s most prized collections, his Collection of Iberia and Brazil, and his Collection of East Africa.
The Iberian Peninsula lies at the western edge of Europe. It went from being on the outer edges of the Roman Empire to the center of European exploration and trade. Spain and Portugal’s colonial expansion left impressions on countries and lands across the world, including Brazil. The paper money from these two empires illustrates their profound geographic and economic impact.
This offering, today, is one of the finest from the region in decades and is replete with rarities that were not present in either of the major Spanish collections offered in the last half-decade.
This auction also includes Yuri Solovey’s Collection of East Africa. Geographically, East Africa was a crucial crossroads for migration, trade, and culture. The currency of the region was a reflection of the importance of that crossroads – paper money that had incredible purchasing power for the time and was inscribed with multiple languages. East Africa, as a central point for trade in the region, was of high interest to European, African, and Middle-Eastern governments alike, leading to frequent shifts in its politics and currency.
A brief list of the highlights from the Collection of Iberia and Brazil includes:
- Proof impressions of the earliest Bank of Spain notes, from the 1862 and 1866 issues, virtually impossible to locate in any other form.
- An unparalleled turn-of-the-century 5 Mil Reis, Pick 19 from Brazil.
- Province of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) Proof, issued during the last years of Spain’s rule.
Featured notes from his Collection of East Africa include:
- A 1920 East Africa 500 Florins Specimen, unavailable in any other form.
- Specimen forms of both the 1921 and 1939 10,000 Shillings notes.
Even if your collecting interests do not include these countries or regions, enjoy this offering for its thoroughness and overall quality. And you can look forward to future offerings from the Yuri Solovey Collection from other regions around the world.
Bidding in this auction is open now and continues until the live session, scheduled for 11 AM CT (12 PM ET), April 30 at Currency.HA.com.
