Congratulations to the 2023 PMG Registry Award Winners!

Each year, PMG recognizes the top collectors and collections in the PMG Registry. This year, three winners were selected in each of the Best US Set, Best World Set and Best Presented Set categories. In addition, one winner was honored with the DeRocker Award for Overall Achievement. Winners of major PMG Registry awards receive a personalized plaque, an icon of recognition next to their PMG Registry set and a $500 PMG grading credit!

Our team of judges reviewed the top sets across every category in the PMG Registry. After much consideration, they have made their selections. View the winners in the video below or by reading on. Congratulations to our stellar 2023 winners!

DeRocker Award for Overall Achievement

dukeleto

When we look at the achievements of collectors in the PMG Registry, it's astounding to see the devotion as we enter the 2024 season. This year we had serious activity throughout many areas, creating competition and opportunities for new members and veterans alike, and many cashed in on high grades and rarities. Leading the way this year with so many additions and contributions, and bringing home PMG's annual DeRocker Award for Overall Achievement, is dukeleto.

Stacking #1's across the board in several categories and countries, dukeleto's swift rise to the top has cemented him as one of PMG's top 10 collectors. Picking up points in a number of categories, dukeleto sits at #6 in overall points, with several milestones in sight. Accolades such as this take a tremendous amount of dedication — not only to collecting but also to developing the skills that lead to finding the next discovery or upgrade. One grade can make all the difference, and dukeleto has found the formula!

It is impressive when viewing his collection of sets, as a number of countries on display from the Caribbean and African nations feature some amazing banknotes. With work being poured into subsets, you can also see the number of complete sets dukeleto is looking to fill. With such determination to meet the next challenge, it is exciting and inspiring to follow. The trends are astonishing, and with more additions come more opportunities, meaning the future is filled with benchmarks that take a lifetime to achieve.

A thousand notes look to be next in line as his collections total 987 notes, with an average score of 994. Also, at 981,000-plus total points, dukeleto is closing in on being the next to eclipse the 1 million points mark. These are incredible accomplishments well worth recognition! Please join us in congratulating and awarding dukeleto the honor for a superb effort, soaring above the competition in 2023 and receiving the PMG DeRocker Award for Overall Achievement.

Best US Sets

Dad's Complete MPC (691 & 701) - PostalDad

PostalDad has put together an amazing set of Military Payment Certificates well worthy of recognition. This complete set of MPC notes includes every single note from the set, and this was the final deciding factor in this year's race for Best US Sets. PostalDad sits in the #2 position by a mere 110 points. Now with a few upgrades, first-place rank is within reach. This set, 100% complete with images and descriptions, is something to admire! Most of this collection contains notes graded EPQ, with multiple notes grading PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ and higher. Look for PostalDad to continue the pursuit in this category with close competition. Well done, PostalDad!

WFG - Large NBN Type Set - WFG

We congratulate WFG for having one of PMG's Best US Sets in the Large Size National Bank Note Set Category. PMG has seen a multitude of National Bank Note submissions this season, with the type increasing in popularity. This collection is made up of all different types of National Bank Notes, spanning from 1865 to 1902.

The various designs and styles used throughout National Bank Notes tell a wonderful story of how these notes went from being printed in lower quantities with hand-written signatures, inspiring new methods of printing technology, eventually leading to where we are today with how paper money circulates in society. WFG has put together a fantastic group with high grades throughout and has a comfortable lead of more than 50,000 points. An area we are seeing expand throughout state categories, National Bank Notes provide a gateway into collecting through US cities, and we congratulate WFG for leading the way as one of the Best US Sets of 2023!

There are moments in collecting where tremendous achievements occur, and in the PMG Registry, US Small Size has had its fair share. This year presented an amazing achievement for larry510, as he was able to take a #1 spot that many thought would never change hands. Well, this year, it finally happened.

larry510's phenomenal set of $5 1928-1963 Legal Tender Complete Block Set with Stars and Varieties now sits on the throne with just over 50,000 points! As larry510 has been working on this set for a solid eight years and counting, he points out some of the highlights of this set are: the 1928E HA block mule with BP # 637 in PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ, a 1928E HA block mule with BP # 629 in PMG 35 Choice Very Fine EPQ, a 1928 plain DA block in PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ, a 1928C FA block in PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ, a 1928D in PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ and a 1928D mule in PMG 58 About Uncirculated.

The 1928C FA and GA block mules are incredibly hard to obtain, let alone in AU grades as we see here. Some rare star notes such as the 1928B mule star and the 1928F Wide II star are also featured in the set. It also appears that anyone looking to gain ground on larry510 will have to work overtime, as a few of the missing notes are in route for grading and on their way to the Registry soon! Please join us in congratulating larry510 for this outstanding achievement that is more than deserving of a Best US Set award!

Best World Sets

Dr. Sherif Private Collection - Egypt - Dr. sherif tayel

Dr. sherif tayel’s Egypt 1913-Date Type Set spans almost 100 years of issues, well-documented with images and descriptions. Among the highlights is an Egypt Pick 14 graded PMG 45 Choice Extremely Fine EPQ, tied for the second-best grade in the PMG Population Report and one of just two notes of the type graded with PMG’s EPQ designation. After its inception in 2014, the set has continued to showcase early, high-grade Egyptian rarities that make it a standout among 50 sets recorded in the PMG Registry. The care that Dr. sherif tayel has put into this set and other Egypt-focused collections has also landed their profile among the top 100 in overall rank in the PMG Registry. Congratulations, Dr. sherif tayel, and thank you for contributing to the growth of the Egyptian category in the PMG Registry!

Russia - Collectoroldthings

The Russia set that Collectoroldthings has compiled is an impressive body of work that hosts a wide variety of Russian notes across more than a century of emissions. Totaling 186 note types, the sheer breadth of this set (standing at 80% completion) has more than an 18,000-point lead on the next competitor. We appreciate Collectoroldthings' overall contribution to the PMG Registry, as well. This collector is in the top 10 overall rank, no easy task! With notes mentioned in our Featured Note of the Month articles on a France 20 Franc note and a Thailand 1,000 Baht note, the wide variety of quality notes is representative of a passionate and devoted collector. Well done and well deserved, Collectoroldthings!

Qatar Complete to 2022 - Empty Quarter

Qatar is among one of the ever-increasing areas in paper money collecting and the PMG Registry, and the country offers a wide range of notes with some nice rarities. Empty Quarter has compiled a complete collection of 1973-Date notes, featuring Pick# 4 and Pick# 5 notes, graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ and PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ, as well as a Pick# 6, sitting respectfully at PMG 30 Very Fine. Taking their passion and using designs featuring familiar offshore jack-ups, Empty Quarter has done what so many are looking to achieve in collecting. It is great to see collecting come together with designs that reflect our world and society in ways that relate to our passions and things closest to us. Congratulations to Empty Quarter for putting together this amazing set and coming home with one of PMG's 2023 Best World Sets!

Best Presented Sets

$1 $2 $5 Antebellum Dalton Georgia Bank Note Collection - Pazio

One of the best things about the PMG Registry is how it opens so many avenues for collectors to share their passion with personality. Pazio, one of our Best Presented Set winners for 2023, does just that with this vast collection of Obsolete Notes from Georgia. Obsolete Notes are in one of the more difficult areas of collecting, as there are a multitude of banks and notes to collect. It can become quite daunting with states such as Georgia, which contains one of the largest number of banks and institutions that used paper money in circulation from the 1850s to the 1860s. Using symbols and descriptions to highlight portions of the collection, Pazio does an amazing job of sharing his passion for collecting. Congratulations to Pazio on an amazing set and achievement!

Lebanon Banknotes HSB Collection, 1925 to date - Hassan S. Bazzi

Taking home one of the 2023 Best Presented Sets is Hassan S. Bazzi for his work on the Lebanon Complete, 1925-Date set. This incredible group includes several notes with top population grades and are available for viewing. Having the opportunity to see this collection will inspire and motivate the greatest of collectors. Hassan S. Bazzi provides a wonderful descriptive introduction and gives excellent insight into the information and designs of the collection. Thank you, Hassan, for sharing. We are excited to present this award for such a dedicated effort to collecting beautiful notes from a beautiful part of the world.

The Michael T. Ungaro, Peoples Bank of China, 1953-Date, Complete, Including All Varieties Collection #1 - Mikey Eyes

Selecting a winner for Best Presented Sets was a tough task this year. After seeing Mikey Eyes' profile, it was an even taller task selecting just one set to feature from his total collection. With so much activity collecting notes from Peoples Bank of China, it only made sense to include the Michael T. Ungaro, Peoples Bank of China, 1953-Date, Complete set. This group has some of the nicest notes one will find for these types, as so many are graded PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ and higher, with a handful grading PMG 70 Gem Uncirculated EPQ★. The PMG Registry provides excellent places for collectors to cement themselves and learn about notes through the collections of others. Congratulations, Mikey Eyes, for an outstanding effort and achievement with this award! Also, thank you for your extensive contributions to the PMG community.

To learn more about the free PMG Registry, visit PMGnotes.com/registry.