The Cook Collection of Central and Eastern European Banknotes

Foreword

It is always very gratifying when a client gets it right - buying when the market is low and selling when it is doing well. I have always managed to do the opposite, but that is another story! I met Joe several decades ago and needless to say I was delighted. At the time (the early 2000s) I could sell Hong Kong and China, British Commonwealth, and other traditionally strong areas with ease. In general, the market was exciting but there was very little interest in notes from Central and Eastern Europe. Joe quickly became my go to collector for this chosen field.

Joe first came to Spink, where I was working at the time, just as we had been entrusted with the dispersal of a varied archive of worldwide proofs and specimens. We had access to numerous examples of hitherto extremely rare items from Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,Romania and so on. Despite their obvious beauty, there was little interest from the general market but to his credit, Joe was an avid buyer. Of course, there was still competition for the best pieces but true collectors always seem to go the extra mile and with the courage of his convictions Joe has assembled a splendid collection...

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