Example of a AUNC - Almost Uncirculated Note

Almost uncirculated is a very tricky grading. Some sellers would use this grading to sell "done up notes" which look uncirculated, some would use this grading to sell "pressed notes". These are notes which are not original in condition, like putting on makeup. Some collectors shun this kind of notes, others are more welcoming, due to a lower price. So it depends on individual. (I will cover the topic of "done up" notes in the future).

Strictly speaking, almost uncirculated notes should look like uncirculated at the first glance. However, when flaws such as counting marks, rounder corners, or mishandling by the collector or others are found, the note drops a grade to become an almost uncirculated note. Most AUNC notes cannot be differentiated from UNC by scans. I will try to highlight a few differences in this post.

Almost Uncirculated: Bird 10 dollars. I shall now showcase a note from the 2nd series, the bird series which I will formally do a write up later on. This note as you can see, have the yellow spots which i was talking about in the previous post. The circled areas on the right shows some of the yellowing of the paper, also know as ageing, toning or foxing. A close inspection of the corners show that there is a light handling mark on the bottom left corner of the note, and the upper left hand corner is a little rounded.