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ASCENDING AND DESCENDING PAIRSCollectors of paper money often gravitate to notes with notable serial numbers, such as very low numbers, solid numbers of all the same digit, and "radar" numbers that read the same backwards as forwards. This PMG article discusses a pattern I hadn't heard of. Found via News & Notes from the Society of Paper Money Collectors (Volume X, Number 34, February 4, 2025). -Editor For some collectors, these fun sequences of numbers on a banknote are a step above ordinary notes. 
An Ascending Pairs Serial Number is one where the first two digits are the same number and then each subsequent pair of numbers is one digit higher. For instance, the Culver City, California 1929 $5 National Bank Note below has an Ascending Pairs Serial Number of B001122A. (This PMG-certified note is part of a Heritage Auctions sale in February 2025.) Descending Pairs Serial Numbers follow the same pattern except the digits grow smaller. This 2017A $1 Federal Reserve Note has a Descending Pairs Serial Number of K88776655A. (This note realized $150 in a Heritage Auctions sale in June 2021.) 
Collectors and dealers with fancy serial numbers can submit them to PMG for certification and attribution under an applicable grading tier. All fancy serial number banknotes must be submitted on a separate submission form. There is no additional fee for this service.
To read the complete article, see:
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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