Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 April 2

= April 2 =

Australian Pre-Decimal Banknotes
From my reading of this page, it appears that Australian pre-decimal pound notes were not demonetised. Am I correct? So if I found £5000 buried in my backyard, the Reserve Bank will exchange that for $10,000? Seems to good to be true! Do any Aussies on the page have any experience re this? I know that the old "paper" dollar notes can still be exchanged, since I recently was given an older $50 note which I took to the bank, which they exchanged for me on the spot. 121.44.244.169 (talk) 07:06, 2 April 2012 (UTC)


 * I have no personal experience of it, but I have no reason to doubt the information on the Reserve Bank's website. Forty-six years on, it would be increasingly uncommon for pre-decimal notes to be turning up in places outside collections etc.  So, it would seem churlish to deny people the benefit of the money if they can establish it's legitimately theirs and given that it's hardly going to break the bank.  --   Jack of Oz   [your turn]  08:19, 2 April 2012 (UTC)


 * I have never exchanged pre-decimal banknotes in Australia, but I have in the UK both at a commercial bank and at the Bank of England. As long as you find someone reasonably knowledgeable, you're fine.  If not, you may have to argue or go to another bank.  Note that many notes have a numismatic value exceeding face; you may do well to consult with a coin dealer, who may give you a modest premium even on very common notes (he can resell them to tourists, perhaps).  You give an amount of $10,000; in the US a banking transaction involving that amount of cash would require a form to be transmitted to the Department of the Treasury under anti-money laundering legislation.  Banks often go by this book, by the way.  I have an old version someplace, it is very authoritative (and pricey, if you'd like a new one, I think I paid $3 for an obsolete one).--Wehwalt (talk) 08:55, 2 April 2012 (UTC)
 * The Bank of England says: "Genuine Bank of England banknotes that have been withdrawn from circulation retain their face value for all time and can be exchanged at the Bank of England in London. There is no fee for this service. Banknotes of this type can be exchanged either by post or in person." I'm not sure how this would work in Australia, but we tend to do these things in a similar way; "We be of one blood, thou and I". Alansplodge (talk) 14:25, 2 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Another thing to consider, if you plan on finding $10,000 in your backyard, is Treasure trove law. In the UK, large collections of old coins that are found with no known owner may, under certain circumstances, be defined as treasure and therefore property of The Crown. The situation in Australia is a little more complicated, but it would be advisable, in the event that you do turn up a hoard when digging your potatoes, to contact an expert (the curator of a local musem, for instance). - Cucumber Mike (talk) 15:58, 2 April 2012 (UTC)
 * If you are so lucky, I would consult with a solicitor first. Especially one with a reputation for being clueful, attuned to client's needs, and knowing how to get things done.--Wehwalt (talk) 09:49, 3 April 2012 (UTC)

Frequency of post to different countries throughout the world
I've sent some postcards from some odd places in the past and it got me wondering. Do Royal Mail or any other postal services ever produce any lists of the amount of post that's sent to other countries? I'm particularly interested between any particularly large or small flows between two countries (or as a subsidiary question any particular routes that are the biggest). Thanks! --145.100.194.165 (talk) 15:23, 2 April 2012 (UTC)


 * I didn't find any statistics online in a (admittedly slightly brief) Google search. However, if you're prepared to do a bit of legwork, you might find what you're after in the Royal Mail archives. http://postalheritage.org.uk/page/archive-guides gives details of what is held, and http://postalheritage.org.uk/page/3290/Royal-Mail-Archive--Overview-Guide is a pdf listing all the records. In particular, POST 50 Post Office: Overseas Mail Services: Records on Air Mail 1919-1987 could be a good start. The Universal Postal Union also seem to collect some statistics, although I haven't been able to find out online if they keep the kind of data you're after. But it might be worth contacting them if you're thinking of doing some scholarly research. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 15:46, 2 April 2012 (UTC)


 * I believe postal services in different countries pay each other based on the difference between the total weight of all the post sent from one country to the other and the weight of the post sent in the other direction. That means those weights will definitely be monitored, although the number of items may not be. Whether those weights are publicly available anywhere, I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. You might be able to send a Freedom of Information request to Royal Mail and get the information even if it hasn't been published previously. --Tango (talk) 11:14, 3 April 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia: Katana page
I've edited the history page several times to include historical context that Japanese had borrowed sword-making techniques and sword design from China. However, it's been repeatedly removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.119.129.74 (talk) 20:12, 2 April 2012 (UTC)
 * I think that's really an issue for the Help Desk or the Village Pump. Marco polo (talk) 20:39, 2 April 2012 (UTC)


 * Do you mean this edit (and this edit to a related article) from when you might have been editing from a different location? Both were reverted because no references were supplied from reliable sources.  Wikipedia relies on reliable sources so readers can verify article content.  Astronaut (talk) 20:51, 2 April 2012 (UTC)

In any case, these sorts of disputes should be discussed at the article talk page. You can take your pick from Talk:Katana or Talk:Japanese sword - the former sounds like the best venue. --Dweller (talk) 08:35, 3 April 2012 (UTC)