How do I find out more about a banknote I can't even read?

This week's question may surprise you.  Even as a supply dealer, I receive phone calls looking for help unrelated to paper money supplies.  The collector said to me: "I have this foreign banknote I just picked up in a collection of banknote albums I just purchased, and I have absolutely no idea what it is.  Any ideas on where I can find out more about it?"

The first and easiest thing you may want to try is a local coin show in your area.  Many dealers, while not specialists in currency, generally have good contacts and cursory knowledge of where they would suggest you to turn.  If you are in an area of the country, or the world for that matter, where there are no shows close by, I would suggest you head to the most knowledgeable currency organizations.  I have provided links below to each of them:

IBNS - International Banknote Society (www.theibns.org)
SPMC - Society of Paper Money Collectors (www.spmc.org)
PCDA - Professional Currency Dealers Association (www.pcdaonline.com)

The first 2 are collector organizations that are non profits and there sole purpose is educate the community.  The PCDA is a dealer organization that could provide you a list of currency dealers that may be in your area within the US.  But either way, the dealers, and collectors are usually more than happy to help. 

In the case of our friends at the IBNS, they even have a forum where you can post an image of your banknote and see if anybody has any ideas.  While I generally can't help, I enjoy reading these forums and seeing some of these unusual items.  These organizations are filled with great members, who thankfully purchase many of our currency albums and currency sleeves.   But I can tell you from personal experience, there are always people who simply love to help identify obscure items.  Plus, you might even make a new friend in the process!