Collection PL

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 100 Reales Vellon Serie A No. 23327 Full Sheet with Header and Talon Specimen (Pick S451s)

A true Pick S451s specimen: the complete, original full-sheet specimen of the Banco de Zaragoza 100 reales vellón, dated 1 May 1857, Serie A, serial number 23327. This survival preserves all components of the printer's plate layout exactly as produced: the upper header panel used for alignment and plate control, the left talón for internal audit numbering, and the finished banknote plate. Specimens of type S451s are extremely rare in any form; full sheets retaining both header and talón are almost never encountered. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 200 Reales Vellon Serie B No. 07887 Full Sheet with Header and Talon Specimen (Pick S452s)

A full-sheet specimen of the Banco de Zaragoza 200 reales vellón dated 14 May 1857, Serie B, serial number 07887, classified as Pick S452s. This complete production sheet preserves the entire printing layout: the upper header panel used for alignment and plate control, the left talón for internal audit numbering, and the full banknote plate. Full-sheet specimens from Spanish provincial banks in the 1850s are exceptionally rare, and survivals with both header and talón intact are almost unknown. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 500 Reales Vellon Serie C No. 08703 Full Sheet with Header and Talon Specimen (Pick S453s)

This specimen forms a matched pair with the issued Serie C note No. 08785 (Pick S453a) also in the collection (see item 'spain-1857-banco-de-zaragoza-500-reales-serie-c-08785-issued-note'), documenting both the production-sheet specimen and the circulation-authorized form of the 500 reales vellón emission. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 100 Reales Vellón Serie A Issued Note No. 23322 (Pick S451b)

As a rare issued note preserved in clean condition with full manuscript signatures, this example ranks at R8 rarity, representing one of Spain’s scarcest mid-19th-century provincial banknote issues. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 500 Reales Vellón Serie C Issued Note No. 08785 (Pick S453a)

Pick S453a is distinct from the specimen (S453s) and remainder (S453r) varieties. The engraving matches precisely the S453s full-sheet specimen, including the Madrid-school coat of arms, scrollwork, acanthus border structure, and typographic elements. The serial number 08785 places this note within the same emission block as the full-sheet specimen numbered 08703, confirming plate linkage and original production sequence. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 200 Reales Vellón Serie B Issued Note No. 07958 (Pick S4532s)

The Banco de Zaragoza was established in 1857 under reforms enabling provincial banks to issue their own notes. Its emission system followed a fixed structure: Serie A = 100 reales, Serie B = 200 reales, Serie C = 500 reales, Serie D = 1000 reales, Serie E = 2000 reales, Serie F = 4000 reales. When the bank was absorbed by the Banco de España in 1874, nearly all circulation notes were redeemed and destroyed. Surviving specimens, especially from the 200 reales Serie B emission, are extremely scarce and remain among the primary surviving documentation for this short-lived issuer. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 2000 Reales Vellón Serie E Issued Note No. 00589 (Pick S455)

Few issued Serie E notes are known. The surviving population is best measured by direct observation rather than catalog assumptions. Only a tiny number of fully signed, circulation-authorized 2000 reales vellón notes have been documented. This note (No. 00589) is one of just two examples currently held in the collection-the other being serial No. 00500-and it pairs with that companion piece to form what is likely the strongest private holding of issued 2000 reales vellón worldwide. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 2000 Reales Vellón Serie E Issued Note No. 00500 (Pick S455)

The engraving and typographic layout match precisely those of the Madrid-school private printer employed by the Banco de Zaragoza. Despite circulation wear and cancellation, the note remains structurally sound and fully legible, carrying the complete manuscript signatures required for legal tender status. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 2000 Reales Vellón Serie E Issued Note No. 00286 (Pick S455)

A genuinely rare issued 2000 reales vellón banknote of the Banco de Zaragoza, dated Zaragoza, 14 May 1857, Serie E, serial number 00286. Catalogued as Pick S455, this denomination represents the upper tier of the bank’s circulating emissions and belongs to a class of notes that were produced in limited quantities and almost entirely redeemed and destroyed. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 2000 Reales Vellón Serie E Issued Consecutive Pair No. 00031–00032 (Pick S455)

Both notes are fully executed with manuscript signatures of the Comisario Regio, Director, Interventor, and Cajero, and each displays the characteristic circular cancellation punch applied upon redemption. Despite circulation wear consistent with their function, the engraved detail remains clear, retaining the distinctive mid-nineteenth-century Madrid-school engraving style employed for Zaragoza’s 1857 series. Read more →

Spain 1875 - Banco de España 50 Pesetas Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick 7x)

The design closely imitates the official Banco de España issue, including allegorical figures, ornamental frames, and serial numbering conventions. While visually convincing at first glance, deviations in engraving quality, line density, and execution distinguish the note from official production. These characteristics are consistent with contemporary counterfeiting practices rather than later imitative efforts. Read more →

Spain 1876 - Banco de España 100 Pesetas Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick 11x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Banco de España one hundred pesetas issue of 1876, produced during the active circulation period of the official banknote and intended to pass as legal tender in everyday commerce. Classified in standard references as Pick 11x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials and printing methods consistent with late nineteenth-century Spanish monetary circulation. Read more →