Collection PL

About 1994.pl
2 results · Page 1 of 1
Martinique 1870 Banque de la Martinique 1 franc unissued cheque, Saint-Pierre issue, unused condition

Martinique 1870 - Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Unissued Cheque (Pick P.5A)

As a surviving unissued example, this cheque serves as a documentary artifact of colonial banking mechanics rather than a monetary substitute. Pick P.5A is infrequently encountered, and examples in fully unused condition are especially scarce. The piece occupies a specialized niche within French colonial numismatics, valued for its institutional context, documentary clarity, and direct association with Martinique’s pre-1902 financial history. Read more →

MartiniqueUnissued Cheque18701 FrancUncirculated Unissued Cheque1 FrancBanque de la MartiniqueColonial Banking InstrumentFrench Colonial FinancePick P.5AColonial Banking HistoryFrench Overseas TerritoriesCaribbean Monetary History19th Century BankingDocumentary Financial InstrumentsSecurity Printing HistoryFrench Engraving TraditionMartinique1870Museum GradeR8 Extremely Rare
Held
Ask PMG Census
Martinique 1870 Banque de la Martinique 1 franc cheque recovered from the ruins of Saint-Pierre after the 1902 Mount Pelée eruption, with contemporary handwritten provenance notes

Martinique 1870 - Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Cheque Recovered After the 1902 Mount Pelée Eruption (Pick P.5A)

The reverse carries a clearer and more explicit inscription reading “Souvenir of St. Pierre” and “Found in the wreck of the Colonial Bank,” followed by a specific date: May 13, 1902. This date falls only five days after the eruption, during the brief window when access to the ruins was still possible and before systematic clearing or restriction of the site. The reference to the Colonial Bank situates the recovery location within the destroyed banking district of Saint-Pierre, an area completely annihilated by pyroclastic flows and fires. Read more →

MartiniqueDisaster Recovery Cheque18701 FrancVery Fine Disaster Recovery Cheque1 FrancBanque de la MartiniqueMount Pelee EruptionSaint Pierre DestructionColonial Bank RuinsPick P.5AColonial Banking HistoryFrench Overseas TerritoriesCaribbean Monetary HistoryNineteenth Century BankingDisaster Recovered ArtifactDocumentary Financial InstrumentsSecurity Printing HistoryFrench Engraving TraditionMartinique18701902Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations
Held
Ask PMG Census

Explore the collection

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

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

Engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in London and printed locally by Sands & McDougall in Melbourne, the note embodies the cooperative evolution of Australian banknote production. Bradbury, Wilkinson supplied the master plates, security devices, and engraving framework, while Sands & McDougall executed local printing to supply the bank's circulation demands across Victoria and the wider Australian colonies. The imprint 'Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., Engravers, London' confirms its master-plate origin, while the local printer’s marks establish the dual-track production typical of the late colonial banking era.

Australia 1889 Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited £5 specimen with serial number prefix, perforated SPECIMEN, printer annotation dated 1 March 1890

Australia 1880–1889 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited £5 SPECIMEN with Serial Prefix (Pick Unlisted, MVR4a)

The note is perforated SPECIMEN across the face and lacks manuscript signatures, confirming its exclusion from any intended issuance workflow. Serial numbers appear at both sides of the face, consistent with bank and printer audit material rather than circulation stock. A pencil annotation dated 1 March 1890 is present in the upper margin, recording a printer or bank-side control date.

↑ Top