Pick Numbers and Banknote Catalogs: How World Paper Money Is Referenced
A Pick number is the standard catalog identifier for a world banknote, taken from the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, the reference originally compiled by collector Albert Pick. Written as a P followed by a number, like P-91, it names one specific note issue so collectors, dealers, and grading services can all point to the same note. It is the closest thing world paper money has to a universal ID.
Last updated: July 2026
A Pick number, written with a P prefix such as P-91, is the catalog entry a banknote receives in the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money. It identifies an issue, one country's particular note of a given design and denomination, rather than the single piece in your hand. Because dealers and grading services share the same numbers, a Pick number is the common language that lets everyone describe the same note the same way.
What is a Pick number?
A Pick number is the catalog ID assigned to a banknote issue in the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, the long-running reference originally compiled by collector Albert Pick.
The catalog gives every note a number within its country's listing, and that number, prefixed with a P, is how the note is referenced everywhere else. Albert Pick, a German collector and author, built the original numbering, and the work was later published and expanded by Krause Publications into the standard reference the hobby still leans on today. When you see a note described as P-91, the P credits Pick's system and the number is the catalog entry for that specific issue.
Pick number
The standard catalog identifier for a world banknote, written as a P followed by a number, for example P-91. It names a specific note issue, a given country's note of a particular design and denomination, so that any collector, dealer, or grading service can refer to the same note without ambiguity. Also called a P-number.
How is a Pick number written?
A Pick number is written as the letter P, a separator, and the catalog number, such as P-91, sometimes followed by a lowercase letter that marks a minor variety.
The core of the reference is the base number, which identifies the note type. A suffix letter is added only when the same basic design was issued in more than one variety, for instance with different signatures, dates, or printings. The base number stays constant while the letters separate the variations, so the base tells you which note you are looking at and the suffix, where one exists, pins down the exact version.
| Part | What it represents | Example |
|---|---|---|
| P prefix | Credits the Pick numbering system from the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money | P |
| Base number | The catalog entry for a specific note issue within its country | 91 |
| Suffix letter (optional) | Distinguishes a minor variety, such as a different signature or date, of the same base note | a, b |
You will also see the same reference written a few ways, since the punctuation is not standardized. P-91, P.91, Pick 91, and a plain 91 within a country's section all point to the identical catalog entry.
How does a Pick number uniquely identify a note across dealers and grading services?
Because every serious reference and grading service uses the same Pick numbers, one number points to one issue no matter who is describing it.
A dealer listing a note as P-91, a grading service printing P-91 on its holder label, and a collector logging P-91 in a want list are all naming the identical issue. That shared vocabulary is what makes the number so useful. It survives translation, it does not depend on how a seller phrases a title, and it lets you line up the same note across different sources to compare condition and price.
PMG and PCGS Banknote both include the catalog number on the certification label, alongside the country, denomination, and grade, so the number on a certified slab matches the number in a dealer's catalog. For how those grades are assigned and what the rest of the label means, see the banknote grading guide.
Worked example: what is P-91?
P-91 is the Zimbabwe one hundred trillion dollar note, dated 2008, released in January 2009 and withdrawn that April when Zimbabwe abandoned its dollar for a multi-currency system.
It is the highest denomination in Zimbabwe's 2008 series, a run of notes issued as the country's hyperinflation peaked. The fifty trillion dollar note from the same series is catalogued as P-90, so the sequence of numbers tracks the sequence of denominations within the issue. The front of P-91 shows the Chiremba Balancing Rocks near Epworth, a natural stone formation that appeared on Zimbabwean currency for years. Peak month-on-month inflation reached roughly 79.6 billion percent in mid-November 2008, according to economist Steve Hanke of the Cato Institute, which is the context that produced a fourteen-zero banknote in the first place.
Once you know the note is P-91, you can look up exactly the same issue at any dealer or in any grading service's records. For what P-91 sells for by grade, from raw uncirculated to top-certified examples, see the Zimbabwe 100 trillion value guide.
What other banknote catalog systems exist?
The Pick system is the dominant reference for world paper money, but specialized and country-specific catalogs exist alongside it, each with its own numbering.
For most world notes, the Pick number is the common reference, which is why it appears on grading labels and in dealer listings. Some countries and specialties keep their own established systems, though. United States paper money, for example, is widely referenced by the Friedberg numbering system, which runs parallel to Pick for US notes. Collaborative online catalogs maintained by collector communities add yet another layer of numbering. These systems can coexist, so a single note might carry a Pick number, a country-specific catalog number, and an online catalog entry all at once.
A note on catalog data. The catalog numbers themselves are a shared shorthand, but the detailed listings, valuations, and variety breakdowns inside published references are the work of their compilers and publishers. This page explains how the numbering works rather than reproducing any catalog's entries. To identify or value a specific note, consult the current edition of the relevant catalog or a trusted dealer, and see the banknote glossary for the rest of the vocabulary.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Pick number on a banknote?
A Pick number is the standard catalog identifier for a world banknote, drawn from the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, the reference originally compiled by collector Albert Pick. Written with a P prefix followed by a number, such as P-91, it names one specific note issue so that collectors, dealers, and grading services can all refer to the same note without confusion. It identifies the issue, not the individual note in your hand.
What does the P in P-91 stand for?
The P stands for Pick, after Albert Pick, the collector and author whose numbering system became the standard for cataloging world paper money. The number that follows, such as 91, is the catalog entry assigned to a particular note within a country's listings. So P-91 is read as Pick entry 91, and in the Zimbabwe listings that entry is the 2008 one hundred trillion dollar note.
Do all dealers and grading services use the same Pick number?
Largely yes, and that is the point of the system. Because the Pick number is a shared reference, a note listed as P-91 by one dealer is the same issue a grading service prints as P-91 on its holder label. PMG and PCGS Banknote both include the catalog number on their labels, so the number on a slab matches the number in a dealer's listing. That common language is what lets you compare the same note across sellers.
What does a suffix letter like a or b mean after a Pick number?
Suffix letters distinguish minor varieties of the same basic note. When a single design was issued with different signatures, dates, or printings, the catalog separates those varieties by adding a letter, so the base number stays the same while the letters mark each variation. The base number tells you which note you are looking at, and the suffix, where one exists, pins down the exact variety.
Is the Pick catalog the only way to reference banknotes?
No. The Pick system from the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money is the most widely used reference for world notes, but it is not the only one. Some countries have their own specialized catalogs, such as the Friedberg numbering system for United States paper money, and collaborative online catalogs use their own numbering as well. For most world banknotes, though, the Pick number remains the common reference that ties every listing together.
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Whether you are cataloging your own collection or checking a listing before you buy, the Pick number is the anchor that keeps everyone describing the same note. Browse certified examples in the graded banknotes collection, where the Pick number is printed right on the holder, or start with the banknote glossary for the rest of the vocabulary.