From the Star Wars ticket to the robbery of the century: the most beautiful money in the world

With a great combination of colors, printed portraits of great characters, cultural, historical or even popular films, millions of banknotes have been created around the world for transactions or simply for some special date.

In that sense, a Mexican collector shared the experience he has gained by acquiring his more than a thousand “miniature works of art” that he has kept to date. He even revealed which banknote was the most difficult for him to have in his hands and what he invested in it. This is a commemorative copy of Star Wars.

It was in 2015 that he decided to start with the protection of a first piece, after a trip he made to Cuba, a country nestled in the Caribbean Sea Antilles. And he said that collecting so-called paper money was a personal decision and even if it doesn't seem like it, putting them together “isn't that expensive”.

“You can get them on trips, banks, markets, the internet, given away by someone, by mail or, ultimately, get them in numismatic stores,” said the collector and economist, Rubén Castro during an interview.

Unimaginable banknotes have been added to its catalog of copies that it treasures in 5 thematic folders sectioned by continent, Mexican and even toy ones. Here are just a few examples that are part of his collection, the strategy he used to get them and what he thinks of people who sell tickets online at exorbitant prices.

One of the reasons why he brings them together is that “each piece talks about a piece of world history, it talks about characters I didn't know and even the economy of the countries”. From Mexico the first banknote he got was from Yucatan and he paid at least two thousand pesos for it, but he has collected the recent and new notes of the G family as well as old ones, and more.

For security reasons, Rubén did not want to share the economic data of his range of papers rich in history and value. However, he reported that some have been given away, got them from exchange or even paid up from 50, 500, 2 thousand or even 3 thousand pesos for any of them.

*Star Wars ticket

This is a commemorative ticket that was created in honor of the eighth installment of the Star Wars saga, Star Wars. The collector paid 3 thousand pesos for the copy at an auction organized by the eBay e-commerce platform, and confirmed that it is one of the pieces he has spent the most for so far.

According to the British Embassy, in 2017, a thousand of them were finished off to celebrate the film's premiere.

“The most expensive are commemorative banknotes that sell them with a collection folder included, and in a few units,” Rubén said.

Even the lines that accompany the copy embedded in its special folder applaud “the journey of Lucasfilm” that began with the production of Star Wars led by filmmaker Georges Lucas more than 40 years ago.

Limited edition and printed in England by the British security paper manufacturer, De la Rue, bears on its obverse the image of actor Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, as well as the fictional character of Rey and the Resistance. While on its reverse it shows the effigy of Kylo Ren, played by actor Adam Driver and the dark side of the force.

*Robbery of the Century Ticket

Listed as one of the most beautiful, this copy was printed in Colombia with a denomination of 10,000 units. However, it was named the banknote of the robbery of the century, after the assault perpetrated by a group of people who entered the Bank of the Republic of the South American country, located in the city of Valledupar.

That big scam took place in 1994, when the gang of thieves made history by taking at least 24 million pesos. For this reason it was immediately discontinued, to prevent shoplifters from spending them.

Even the streaming platform, Netflix, recreated the story and released it in its catalog of films under the name El Robo del Siglo. Inspired by real events and starring Andrés Parra, Christian Tappan and Marcela Benjumea.

For Rubén, this is his favorite. It cost him at least a thousand pesos and he also won it through an eBay auction.

The 10,000 pesos copy is commemorative. On its obverse, the image of an indigenous girl was captured and created as a tribute to the discovery of America, where one morning more than 400 years ago, Christopher Columbus and his people set foot on Guanahani, the first island on which they landed and which is now part of the Bahamas.

While on its back there is a group of beautiful colorful birds, a world map in the center and the amount of 10,000 pesos with letter and number.

*Ticket for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games

Another example of the wide variety of pieces it has to date, is the one that was issued by the Winter Olympics, held in Beijing, China, from February 4 to 20 of this year.

On one side of this paper money, the dance of a pair of ice skaters is visualized, one of the disciplines most applauded by these games. It should be remembered that the 22-year-old Mexican Donovan Carrillo left the country's name high when he reached the final.

While its 20 yuan reverse boasts the Beijing National Aquatic Center, located in the Asian country, which due to its shape simulates an ice cube, which is why it is also known as the “Ice Cube”. It is an area with swimming pools and enough space where the sports events took place this 2022.

The owner of this miniature work of art recalled that in this case he paid about 500 pesos. “I got that one especially with a numismatic salesman, my friend. Although it was possible to find it on eBay still easily, because it was in full celebration of the Beijing Games. Maybe it will be more difficult to get them later.”

10 thousand pesos banknote

With a predominant color in purple, one of the oldest specimens that Rubén has, it has a nominal value of 10,000 pesos. It was printed by the American Bank Note Company (1936-1978), an American company based in New York responsible for foreign exchange processing.

This peculiar piece also has its history, since it acted as a “protagonist” in a film from the golden age of Mexican cinema, called The Paper Man, a 1963 drama starring Ignacio López Tarso, who gives life to a silent pepenator who finds the banknote and triggers the greed of those around him.

On its obverse was placed the portrait of Matías Romero, on the left side and inside an oval. A politician from Oaxaca of the last century, who served as finance secretary during the administrations of then-presidents Benito Juárez and Porfirio Díaz. It also has the denomination of the banknote with letter and number in the middle of it, as well as the amount in each of the corners.

On the back of the copy, the color green predominates, as well as a vignette of the National Palace in Mexico City, as was left after its third floor was built, during the administration of former President Plutarco Elías Calles.

For this bill he spent at least 3,500 pesos, and it is one of the oldest in Mexico that he has so far.

In his journey, Rubén has obtained a wide variety of historical, beautiful and even fun pieces, such as one with the image of Mickey Mouse, Disney money that for a time functioned as a bargaining chip in official stores, cruise ships and amusement parks. These copies were similar to the traditional dollars, which were issued since 1987; however, in 2016 the company announced that they would no longer be manufactured, as people preferred to pay digitally.

This attractive animated copy and many more can be admired through its Instagram social network (@caza_billetes). It also boasts banknotes created especially for royalty in some countries, such as that of “the Dragon Kings”, where the face of a baby stands out very particularly. It was printed in February 2016, the month of Love Day in the West, when the crown prince of Bhutan, country of South Asia and Buddhist kingdom, was born.

When asked what he thinks of people who sell bills or coins at stratospheric prices, although they are not worth them, he stressed that:

“They are speculators, they give ridiculous values to banknotes that don't have them. It's one thing to try to sell a ticket for its peculiar serial number, at a price perhaps twice its value, but trying huge prices is ridiculous. Sadly people fall.”

There are also banknotes that have increased their cost because of their rarity and age. “Some Mexicans printed at the beginning of the 20th century by the American Bank Note cost me 3,000 pesos as well, but there are more expensive ones, even up to 10,000 pesos or more,” he said.

In this regard, it must be remembered that both coins and banknotes must contain certain elements or characteristics in order to be able to increase their value, according to numismatic experts, tickets can increase their price even more if they have been issued for many years.

An example of an ancient one may be those that were created before the Revolution, that is, between 1900-1914 or so. These banknotes could be sold between 40,000 and more than 50,000 pesos, said a specialist.

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