Collection

North Macedonia 1996 - 500 Denari (Specimen, Pick 17s) Golden Death Mask GA0000000 No. 006

De La Rue specimen of the 500 Denari featuring the Golden Death Mask from Trebenishte. Controls include red SPECIMEN overprint, oval TDLR NO VALUE stamp, twin punch cancels, serial GA0000000, and a sequential specimen number. These controls show the distribution standard used for reference sets sent to central banks and internal departments. ... Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 500 Denari (Issued, Pick 17a) GB2531560 Golden Death Mask

Issued 500 Denari from the 1996 National Bank series printed by De La Rue in London. Design centers on the Golden Death Mask motif with a warm orange-lavender palette. Security features include watermark of the mask, microtext, embedded thread, see-through register, and a crisp intaglio key plate over offset underprint. ... Read more →

North Macedonia 2003 - 500 Denari (Issued, Pick 21a) DA8148021 Golden Death Mask

Follow-up printing dated January 2003 that keeps the Golden Death Mask motif while adjusting color balance and guilloche. This note is a continuation of the 1996 design language rather than a clean redesign. It shows how the central bank maintained visual identity across a new date and production batch while keeping the same core symbol. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1905–1916 — Bank of New Zealand £1 (Pick S212bs, Bradbury Wilkinson, Specimen)

A landmark Dominion-era specimen from the formative years of New Zealand banking, this £1 note exemplifies the artistry and precision of Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London. Produced circa 1905–1916 for the Bank of New Zealand, it reflects the institution’s transformation from a colonial issuer to the nation’s financial cornerstone prior to the creation of the Reserve Bank in 1934. Engraved and printed in London, the note’s design unites symbolism of nationhood, trade, and indigenous heritage. ... Read more →

New South Wales 1865 — Embossed 'ONE HALF PERCENT' Stamp Duty Proof (Specimen)

Archival embossed proof prepared for the New South Wales Treasury in 1865, showing the crowned arms of the colony and the inscription 'ONE HALF PERCENT' surrounded by laurel wreaths. Produced on Cowan & Sons watermarked paper, this piece combines colourless embossing with printed blue 'Specimen' text and framing lines, representing the official presentation format used for fiscal die approval. This proof belongs to the earliest generation of Australian government fiscal printing, created to authenticate legal documents and financial instruments before the widespread adoption of adhesive revenue stamps. ... Read more →

Italy 1871 — Germania with Shield and Spear, Vignette Die Proof (Used for 500 Lire, PS977)

Engraved vignette die proof titled 'Germania with Shield and Spear,' executed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, for the Banca Italo-Germanica circa 1871. The intaglio engraving portrays the female personification of Germany—Germania—standing armed with shield and spear, crowned with laurel, and rendered in the romantic classical style characteristic of early Bradbury Wilkinson export work. The surrounding cartouche bears the inscription 'BANCA ITALO-GERMANICA' and the denomination 500, indicating its later integration into the 500 Lire proof (PS977). ... Read more →

United States 1830s — Pennsylvania, Philadelphia — Penn Township Savings Institution 10 Cents Proof (Unlisted)

Engraved proof note for the Penn Township Savings Institution of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, dating to the 1830s. This fractional-denomination certificate represents one of the earliest savings deposit proofs, promising repayment of ten cents with interest at 2% per annum. The ornate intaglio design includes large '10' denomination counters and paired portraits of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. ... Read more →

Mexico 1915 — Ayuntamiento de Zitácuaro 10 Centavos (Uncut Sheet of Four, M2952c)

Uncut vertical sheet of four 10 Centavos notes issued by the Ayuntamiento (Municipal Council) of Zitácuaro, Michoacán, during the Mexican Revolution, catalogued as M2952c. Each note is individually numbered in blue ink (Nos. 1124–1127) and printed in black on thin local stock typical of municipal emergency currency produced in 1914–1916. ... Read more →

Russia 1920 — Armed Forces of South Russia 100,000 Rubles Treasury Bill (November Issue, Pick S431c)

Six-percent short-term Treasury bill for 100,000 rubles issued by the Government Treasury of the Armed Forces of South Russia (White administration) during the final phase of the Civil War. This is the November 15, 1920 payable issue (Pick S431c), produced under General Wrangel after the move to Crimea. Bilingual legends (Russian/French), Imperial double-headed eagle in an ornate oval cartouche at left, and typographic bond format reflect the White government’s effort to maintain pre-revolutionary state continuity. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 — 50 Złotych Front Proof (Pick 175ap1, PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated, Top Pop)

Original front design proof of the 1994 Poland 50 Złotych issue, engraved and printed by Thomas De La Rue. Certified by PMG as Pick 175ap1, this front proof was produced for internal approval prior to full-scale printing. It shows the final obverse layout of the issued note, featuring King Kazimierz III Wielki (Casimir the Great), Poland’s 14th-century monarch credited with codifying national law and founding the University of Kraków. ... Read more →

Poland 1988 — 50 Złotych (Prefix HK) — Missing Signatures and Date Print Error (Raw, Circulated)

Issued 50 Złotych note (Prefix HK, Warszawa 1 GRUDNIA 1988) showing a major printing error where the typographic layer containing the date 'WARSZAWA, 1 GRUDNIA 1988' and both signatures of the issuing officials (Prezes and Główny Skarbnik) is completely absent. The eagle emblem remains intact, confirming that only the upper black text plate failed to print. This omission occurred during the final typographic stage at Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych (PWPW), where the date and signatures were added separately from the offset underprint and intaglio portrait layers. ... Read more →

Poland 1988 — 50 Złotych (Prefix HK) — PMG 68 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated

High-grade example of the 50 Złotych note dated '1 GRUDNIA 1988' from the Narodowy Bank Polski, printed by Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych (PWPW). Bearing prefix HK and serial HK0082865, this piece represents the pinnacle of technical precision achieved by Poland’s state printer in the final years of the PRL era. The obverse features General Karol Świerczewski, a controversial yet pivotal figure of mid-20th-century Polish history, framed by an intricate network of guilloche and color shifting micro-patterns symbolizing security and modernization. ... Read more →