An extensive and rare World Currency collection assembled by Ruth W. Hill, lovingly referred to as the “Grand Old Lady of Paper Money Collecting in North America,” will be offered by Heritage Auctions in a series of auctions throughout 2014, beginning April 23-28 at the Central States Signature Auction in Chicago, Ill., as well as Tuesday Internet Auctions. Additional highlights will be auctioned during Heritage’s World Currency Signature Auction in Long Beach, Calif., Sept. 3-8.
Ruth Waldron Hill’s pursuit of world paper money rarities began in the 1950s and she quickly became one of the foremost collectors and researchers in the field. Hill’s contributions to the hobby of paper money collecting were without much fanfare. She quietly rescued the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) in its early days, when the organization dedicated to the research and promotion of collecting world paper money was facing financial troubles.
A generous benefactor, she belonged to a lengthy list of numismatic organizations. Her generosity also extended to young collectors, giving away bank notes as awards to grade school students to inspire their curiosity about collecting. In 1979, Hill was named by Numismatic News as a Numismatic Ambassador, and in 2010, IBNS appointed her an Honorary Life Member and an Honorary Director for Life. Hill was honored when inducted into the IBNS Hall of Fame in 2010 for helping lay the foundations on which the hobby is built.
“An active collector all of her life and a pioneer in a field of mostly men, Mrs. Hill assembled an exceptional collection of world notes,” said Dustin Johnston, Director of Currency at Heritage. “Her devotion was in support of a field that was in desperate need of research and for helping to build future generations of collectors that love and contribute to paper money collecting.”
Highlights from the Ruth Hill World Currency Collection crossing the block April 23-28, 2014 includes, but are not limited to:
- China People’s Republic 10 Yuan 1953 Pick 870
- China Provincial Kwangtung (Guangdong) Currency Bureau 10 Dollars Year 33 (1907) Pick S2394
- China Provincial Peiyang Tientsin Bank 5 Taels ND (ca. 1910) Pick S2523
- Iran Imperial Bank of Persia 20 Tomans 19.2.1925 Pick 15
- Zanzibar 10 Rupees 1.2.1928 Pick 3
- India 1000 Rupees ND (1937) Bombay Taylor Pick 21a
- Malaya Board of Commissioners of Currency 100 Dollars 1.1.1942 (1945) Pick 15
- Gilbert and Ellice Islands £1 1.1.1942 Pick 5
