1994.pl — The Collection: Specimens, Proofs and Historical Banknotes

Australia 1880–1910 Commercial Bank of Australia £100 specimen, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

Australia 1880–1910 - Commercial Bank of Australia £100 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

When the Commonwealth centralized currency authority in 1910 and later established the Australian Notes Branch (and eventually the Reserve Bank), nearly all private banknote issues were recalled and destroyed. As a result, only specimen or printer’s archival material survived for many denominations. For the £100 type, the absence of issued survivors underscores the near-total eradication of high-value private currency from the record. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen1880100 PoundsPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated Specimen100 PoundsHigh DenominationCommercial Bank of AustraliaBradbury WilkinsonBWCSands & McDougallColonial SpecimenBilingualChinese-EnglishPick UnlistedColonial Banking HistoryAustralian Private BanknotesPre-Notes Act Era19th Century BankingMulticultural Trade NetworksSecurity Printing HistoryBritish Engraving InfluenceAustralian Monetary HistoryAustralia188019101880–1910PMG 64Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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New Zealand 1907–1926 Bank of New Zealand £20 Blue audit-range serial-prefix specimen with dual control numbers, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., PMG 55 AU, Pop 1/1, R9 Extremely Rare

New Zealand 1907–1926 - Bank of New Zealand £20 Blue Serial-Prefix Audit Specimen (Pick S194s)

The £20 denomination occupied the highest settlement tier within the BNZ system and was deliberately executed in a blue–slate color family reserved for upper-level clearing and interbank instruments. This chromatic choice followed Bradbury Wilkinson’s established BNZ color logic, progressing from £1 Green through £5 Red and £10 Brown to the subdued blue tones of the £20, visually signaling professional handling and high-value usage. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen190720 PoundsPMG 55 About Uncirculated (Pop 1/1) Specimen20 PoundsBlueBNZ Color LineageHigh Denomination Color TierHigh DenominationAudit-Range SpecimenSerial PrefixDual Serial NumbersPerforated SpecimenBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S194sBank of New ZealandPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankNew Zealand Banking HistoryBritish Engraved NotesMāori Portrait VignettesSecurity Printing HistoryHigh-Value NotesAudit Control SheetNew Zealand190719261907–1926PMG 58Pop 1Top PopMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Australia 1877 City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 specimen engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson, PMG 62 Uncirculated, unique surviving example

Australia 1877 - City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Certified PMG 62 Uncirculated, the note stands as a singular artifact of Australia’s private-banknote era. It represents the intersection of rarity, engraving excellence, and financial history, and qualifies unequivocally for classification as R9 - Unique. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen187720 PoundsPMG 62 Uncirculated Specimen20 PoundsCity of Melbourne Bank LimitedBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick UnlistedColonial SpecimenEngraved Security PrintingAustralian Private BanknotesVictoria Banking HistoryPre-Federation FinanceGold Rush Era BankingSecurity Printing History19th Century BankingAustralian Monetary HistoryAustraliaVictoria1877PMG 62Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company 1877 Portrait of Woman intaglio vignette proof, printer's library design element associated with the City of Melbourne Bank Limited 20 Pounds colonial Australian banknote design

Australia 1877 - Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company Portrait of Woman Intaglio Vignette Proof for City of Melbourne Bank Limited 20 Pounds Design (Pick Unlisted)

The portrait is presented within a narrow oval composition and depicts a young woman in three-quarter view, wearing a decorative head ornament and draped garment, with architectural detail visible in the background. The engraving is built from fine intaglio linework, controlled cross-hatching and carefully graduated tonal transitions, with particular attention given to the face, hair, clothing and background. Read more →

AustraliaVignette Proof1877Reference VignetteArchival Intaglio Proof Vignette ProofIntaglio Vignette ProofPortrait VignettePortrait of WomanEngraved PortraitPrinter's Library ElementPrinter's Design ArchiveProduction Stage ArtifactStandalone VignetteReference VignetteCity of Melbourne Bank Limited Design Source20 Pounds Design SourceBradbury, Wilkinson and CompanyBradbury, Wilkinson and Company LondonLondon Security PrinterIntaglio PrintingIntaglio EngravingSecurity EngravingBanknote PrintingSecurity PrintingPrivate Banknote ProductionProofing and Plate ApprovalDesign Verification ArtifactPick UnlistedAustralian Banking HistoryAustralian Colonial BankingPre Federation AustraliaVictoria Banking HistoryCity of Melbourne BankCity of Melbourne Bank LimitedColonial VictoriaPrivate Banknote TraditionNineteenth Century Paper MoneyVictorian Era EngravingHistoryAustraliaVictoria1877R9 Extremely RareUniqueMuseum Grade

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New Zealand Bank of Australasia £50 Christchurch proof note dated 1896, Victorian engraved colonial banknote printed by Perkins Bacon, PMG 55 proof

New Zealand 1896 - Bank of Australasia £50 Christchurch Proof (Pick Unlisted)

This proof displays the fully engraved obverse design, including denomination roundels, the seated allegorical vignette at center, and the formal promise to pay the bearer on demand. The layout reflects mature Victorian security printing practice, balancing ornamental complexity with legibility and authority. The absence of serial numbering, signatures, and circulation elements confirms its status as a proof prepared for reference and institutional record rather than issue. Read more →

New ZealandProof189650 PoundsPMG 55 About Uncirculated Proof Banknote50 PoundsPre Issue ProofNon Circulating ProofInstitutional Presentation NoteBank of AustralasiaBritish Chartered BanksColonial Banking in New ZealandColonial FinanceBritish Security PrintingVictorian EngravingExport Engraved NotesNew ZealandChristchurch188819211896Pick UnlistedMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Australia Bank of Australasia 10 Pounds Melbourne proof note, early Victorian colonial banknote, Perkins Bacon engraving, PMG 45 proof

Australia 1835-1850 - Bank of Australasia £10 Melbourne Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Proof material from the Bank of Australasia is exceptionally scarce due to the bank early date, limited production runs, and the routine destruction of non-circulating material once designs were approved. Surviving proofs provide direct evidence of how British banking institutions introduced formal paper money systems into Australia prior to Federation. Read more →

AustraliaProof183510 PoundsPMG 45 Choice Extremely Fine Proof Banknote10 PoundsPre Issue ProofNon Circulating ProofInstitutional Presentation NoteBank of AustralasiaEarly Australian BankingBritish Chartered BanksColonial FinanceBritish Security PrintingEarly Victorian EngravingExport Engraved NotesAustraliaMelbourne183518501835-1850Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Brazil 1773 Tejuco Diamond Administration 6 Octavas gold receipt No. 813,

Brazil 1773 - Diamond Administration of Tejuco, 6 Octavas Gold Receipt No. 813 (Pick Unlisted)

Unlike manuscript-only diamond-district receipts, this example is produced on an officially printed fiscal form bearing the engraved royal arms of Portugal, demonstrating its use within the elite treasury office rather than in peripheral notarial contexts. The printed template, the inked manuscript completion, and the red-brown validation marks are characteristic of the administrative procedures governing all gold leaving the diamond region under crown monopoly. Read more →

BrazilFinancial Document17736 Octavas of GoldXF (Manuscript-Completed Fiscal Receipt) Financial DocumentDiamond DistrictPick unlisted1773 ReceiptNumber 8136 OctavasPortuguese Colonial BrazilCasa da Administração dos DiamantesMinas GeraisTejucoGold LedgerManuscript EntryFiscal FormRoyal Arms PortugalColonial Taxation18th Century FinancePortuguese EmpireBrazil1773R9 Extremely RareUniqueMuseum Grade

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Poland 1994 50 Złotych front proof, Pick 175ap1, PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated, final approved obverse design by Thomas De La Rue

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Front Proof (Pick 175ap1)

The definitive front proof of the 1994 50 Złotych issue, this sheet represents the final approved obverse design prepared by Thomas De La Rue for Narodowy Bank Polski during Poland’s post-communist monetary reform. Executed as an internal production proof, it preserves the complete engraved obverse exactly as authorized for issue, prior to serial numbering and reverse printing. Read more →

PolandFront Proof199450 ZłotychPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Front Proof, Top Pop 1/1) Front ProofPick 175ap1Thomas De La RueTDLRNarodowy Bank PolskiKazimierz WielkiCasimir the GreatModern Polish BanknotesRedenomination SeriesPoland1994PMG 63Top PopR9 Extremely RareUniqueMuseum Grade

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Poland 1994 50 Złotych remainder without serial numbers, Pick 175ar, PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ, unnumbered production-stage banknote

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Remainder (Pick 175ar Miłczak 198a–b)

Modern remainder material from this issue is exceptionally scarce. PMG records only two examples of Pick 175ar, with no broader group documented through the market or institutional collections. The type is classified R8 - Extremely Rare. Read more →

PolandRemainder199450 ZłotychPMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ Remainder50 ZlotychUnnumbered BanknoteWithout Serial NumbersThomas De La RueTDLRNarodowy Bank PolskiKazimierz WielkiCasimir the GreatModern Polish BanknotesRedenomination SeriesProduction StagePoland1994PMG 66Pick 175arMilczak 198R8 Extremely RareMuseum Grade

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Australia 1877 Mercantile Bank of Sydney £1 specimen with red ONE overprint, Pick Unlisted, printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., graded PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated Pop 1, only known example

Australia 1877 - Mercantile Bank of Sydney £1 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A superb Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. specimen from the early colonial banking era, this £1 note for the Mercantile Bank of Sydney survives today as the only documented example of its type. Certified PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated and recorded as Pop 1, it represents a unique surviving specimen of a private Australian bank whose issues rarely appear in any form. The same piece is known to have appeared once in a past Christie’s sale prior to encapsulation, making this the sole confirmed survivor based on all available auction, census, and institutional research. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen18771 PoundPMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated (Pop 1) Specimen1 PoundPick UnlistedRed OverprintColonial Private BankBradbury WilkinsonBWCMercantile Bank of SydneyNew South Wales Banking History19th Century FinanceAustralian Private IssuesSecurity Printing HistoryColonial PeriodAustralia1877Only Known ExampleR9 Extremely RareUniquePop 1Top PopPMG 66 EPQGem UncirculatedMuseum Grade

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Australia Federal Bank of Australia Limited one pound Sydney specimen printed by Bradbury Wilkinson, annotated 1882, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

Australia 1879–1903 - Federal Bank of Australia, Limited £1 Sydney Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

This note is a true specimen, not intended for circulation, and was produced as part of Bradbury, Wilkinson’s export engraving program for colonial banks. The design reflects late Victorian security printing conventions: a balanced bilateral layout with allegorical female vignettes, dense blue underprinting, and wide margins characteristic of British-engraved export notes. At left, a young woman holding a lamb symbolizes prosperity and trust; at right, a classical female figure represents authority and stability. Together these figures formed a visual reassurance to depositors and merchants in Sydney and other colonial financial centers. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen18791 PoundPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated (Annotated, Top Population) Specimen Banknote1 PoundPrinter SpecimenAnnotated SpecimenExport Engraved NoteLarge Format BanknoteBradbury WilkinsonBWCBritish Security PrintingVictorian Era EngravingPrivate Banknote ProductionFederal Bank of Australia LimitedAustralian Private BanksPre Federation AustraliaSydney Banking HistoryVictorian Banking Crisis1893 Banking CollapseAustraliaSydney187919031879–1903Pick UnlistedTop PopMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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Poland 1926 10 Złotych remainder Pick 65br with Bolesław Chrobry 992–1025 portrait watermark, PMG 40 Extremely Fine

Poland 1926 - 10 Zlotych Remainder Bolesław Chrobry 992–1025 Watermark (Pick 65br)

During the production of the 1926 10 złotych issue, this historically charged watermark was replaced by a redesigned variant that incorporated clear denomination markings - “10” and “ZŁ” - directly into the watermark field. The change was driven by practical considerations. A denomination-based watermark could be identified more quickly and reliably, improving everyday authentication and reducing the risk of denomination confusion in circulation. The transition reflects a shift from commemorative emphasis toward functional clarity in the banknote’s security design. Read more →

PolandRemainder192610 złotychPMG 40 Extremely Fine RemainderBank Polski10 ZlotychPortrait WatermarkBoleslaw Chrobry992–10251926 Banknote IssueSecond Polish RepublicState SymbolismWatermark HistoryPoland1926Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniquePick 65brMilczak 64PMG 40

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