Collection — Specimens, Proofs & Issued Banknotes

2003 North Macedonia 500 Denari issued banknote DA8148021 featuring the Golden Death Mask motif, graded PMG 67 EPQ

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

At the center of the design remains the Golden Mask motif derived from the funerary mask discovered at the archaeological site of Trebeništa near Ohrid, dating to the 6th century BCE. The mask is one of the most recognizable artifacts of ancient Macedonian culture and was selected as the defining visual element of the denomination. Its sculptural form translates effectively into engraved linework and serves both as the principal vignette and as the basis for the watermark embedded within the banknote paper. Read more →

North MacedoniaIssued Note2003500 DenariPMG 67 EPQ Issued NoteGolden Death MaskGolden Mask of TrebenishtaArchaeological HeritageBanknote EngravingDe La RueSecurity PrintingIntaglio EngravingOffset PrintingSecurity ThreadMicrotextSee-Through RegisterGuilloche PatternsWatermarkNorth Macedonia2003500 DenariPick 21aPMG 67 EPQSuperb Gem UncirculatedMuseum Grade

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New South Wales 1865 - Embossed 'ONE HALF PERCENT' Stamp Duty Fiscal Proof Specimen

The proof is printed on watermarked paper manufactured by Cowan & Sons, one of the principal British suppliers of high-grade security paper during the nineteenth century. Such paper stocks were widely used for government revenue instruments and later for colonial banknotes. The presence of Cowan paper reflects the integration of New South Wales fiscal printing into the broader British security printing industry. Read more →

AustraliaFiscal Die Proof1865One Half PercentUnissued archival proof (colourless embossing with printed SPECIMEN) Fiscal ProofDie ProofEmbossed Revenue PaperStamp Duty PaperAd Valorem DutyOne Half PercentNew South Wales TreasuryColonial Revenue SystemGovernment Fiscal PaperLegal Document AuthenticationThomas De La RueTDLRCowan & Sons PaperSecurity Paper ProductionEmbossed Die EngravingEarly Security PrintingAustraliaNew South Wales1865Colonial Fiscal PrintingRevenue Paper HistoryMuseum Grade

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Italy 1871 Germania with shield and spear vignette die proof engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson for the Banca Italo-Germanica 500 Lire design

Italy 1871 - Germania with Shield and Spear Vignette Die Proof Used on 500 Lire (Pick PS977)

This engraved vignette proof depicting 'Germania with Shield and Spear' was produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in London for the Banca Italo-Germanica during the early 1870s. The impression preserves the complete ornamental vignette prepared for the proposed 500 Lire banknote design, including the decorative frame and denomination tablet engraved for integration into the final banknote layout. Read more →

ItalyVignette1871-PMG Certified (Vignette Proof) VignetteVignette ProofIntaglio PrintSteel EngravingBanknote EngravingGermania AllegoryGermania with Shield and SpearFemale Personification of GermanyImperial Eagle ShieldBradbury WilkinsonBWCSecurity Printing19th Century EngravingEngraving Approval StageBanca Italo-GermanicaItalo-German Banking RelationsEuropean Banking HistoryGerman Unification EraItaly1871500 LirePS977Museum Grade

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1830s Penn Township Savings Institution 10 Cents proof deposit certificate engraved by Underwood Bald Spencer & Hufty of Philadelphia

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

As a historical artifact, the piece documents the intersection of early American banking, working-class savings culture, and the development of security printing in the decades before the Civil War. Read more →

United StatesObsolete Proof Note183010 CentsProof (Unissued) Obsolete ProofPick UnlistedUnlistedSavings Deposit CertificateFractional Savings NoteEarly Micro-SavingsMortgage Backed DepositWilliam Penn PortraitPenn Township Savings InstitutionPhiladelphia Banking HistoryMutual Savings BankUnderwood Bald Spencer & HuftyAmerican Security PrintingPre-American Bank Note Company Engraving19th Century EngravingUnited StatesPennsylvaniaPhiladelphia1830s10 CentsObsolete CurrencyEarly American BankingMuseum Grade

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Mexico 1915 Ayuntamiento de Zitácuaro 10 Centavos uncut sheet of four notes numbered 1124 to 1127, revolutionary municipal currency from Michoacán

Mexico 1915 - Ayuntamiento de Zitácuaro 10 Centavos Uncut Sheet of Four M2952c (Pick Unlisted)

As an artifact, the sheet illustrates how local authorities temporarily replaced national currency systems with municipal credit instruments backed by civic authority and local trust. It stands as a rare surviving witness to the decentralized monetary practices that emerged across Mexico during the upheaval of the revolution. Read more →

MexicoRevolutionary Issue191510 CentavosUncut Sheet Revolutionary IssuePick UnlistedMunicipal CurrencyEmergency MoneyBilimbiquesUncut Sheet10 CentavosAyuntamientoHonorable AyuntamientoMunicipal Government IssueLocal PrintingMexican Revolution CurrencyRevolutionary Monetary CrisisFractional Municipal MoneyEconomic HistoryMexicoMichoacánZitácuaro1915M2952cMuseum Grade

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Poland 1988 50 Złotych banknote prefix HK6400358 missing date and signatures of Prezes and Główny Skarbnik due to typographic printing omission

Poland 1988 - 50 Zlotych Prefix HK Missing Signatures Date Print Error Issued Note (Pick 142c)

The portrait depicts General Karol Świerczewski, a prominent military figure of the Polish People’s Republic era. The surrounding design incorporates a dense offset guilloche network and intaglio portrait engraving typical of late communist-period banknote production at Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych in Warsaw. Read more →

PolandIssued Note Error (Missing Print)198850 ZłotychRaw (Circulated) Issued Error NoteMissing Print ErrorMissing SignaturesMissing Date PanelTypographic OmissionKarol Swierczewski PortraitNarodowy Bank PolskiPolska Wytwornia Papierow WartosciowychPWPW Security PrintingLate Communist Era BanknotesPrefix HKSerial HK64003581988 Series50 ZlotychPick 142cCM165CM166CM167CM168CM169CM170Poland1988Error NoteMuseum Grade

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Poland 1988 50 Zlotych banknote prefix HK0082865 featuring the portrait of Karol Swierczewski, graded PMG 68 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated

Poland 1988 - 50 Zlotych Prefix HK Issued Note (Pick 142c)

The HK prefix belongs to one of the later production blocks of the 1988 issue. This example, serial HK0082865, preserves the note in near-perfect state with full paper originality and undisturbed printing layers. Read more →

PolandIssued Note198850 ZłotychPMG 68 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated Issued NoteKarol Swierczewski PortraitEagle Arms WatermarkIntaglio EngravingOffset Security PrintingNarodowy Bank PolskiPolska Wytwornia Papierow WartosciowychPWPW Security PrintingLate PRL BanknotesPrefix HKSerial HK00828651988 Series50 ZlotychPick 142cCM165CM166CM167CM168CM169CM170Poland1988PMG 68 EPQSuperb Gem UncirculatedMuseum Grade

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Canada 1896 Bank of Nova Scotia 20 Dollars front and back proof pair engraved by the American Bank Note Company

Canada 1896 - Bank of Nova Scotia 20 Dollars Front and Back Proofs (Pick Unlisted)

The engraved signature of J. Doull appears at lower right. Doull served as General Manager of the Bank of Nova Scotia during the late nineteenth century and played a key role in the bank’s expansion during Canada’s early industrial growth. His presence on the note anchors the design within the governance structure of the chartered bank system that dominated Canadian banking prior to the creation of the Bank of Canada. Read more →

CanadaProof Pair (Front & Back)189620 DollarsPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Front and Back Proof Pair) Proof PairPick UnlistedFront ProofBack ProofEngraved ProofIntaglio EngravingABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyABNCo Security PrintingLathework GuillocheSteel Banknote EngravingThe Bank of Nova ScotiaHalifaxNova ScotiaCanadian Chartered BanknotesVictorian Era BankingCanada189620 DollarsPMG 63Choice UncirculatedMuseum Grade

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Fiji 1942 one pound wartime overprint on New Zealand Reserve Bank £1 note showing Government of Fiji overprint and red FI/O serial number

Fiji 1942 - 1 Pound Government of Fiji Overprint on New Zealand £1 (Pick 45c)

The overprint effectively transformed the New Zealand note into a locally restricted wartime currency while preserving the underlying engraved design. The original elements remain visible, including the kiwi vignette at left, the New Zealand coat of arms at center, and the portrait of Māori King Tāwhiao at right. Red serial numbers prefixed 'FI/O' were applied to distinguish the converted notes from their New Zealand counterparts and to integrate them into Fiji’s emergency circulation system. Read more →

FijiIssued Note (Overprint on Foreign Base)19421 PoundPMG 20 Very Fine Overprinted IssueForeign Base NoteBlack OverprintWartime Emergency CurrencyWorld War II Currency1 PoundGovernment of FijiBritish Colonial AdministrationPacific Wartime EconomyColonial Monetary PolicyReserve Bank of New Zealand Base NoteKiwi VignetteMaori King Tawhiao PortraitCommonwealth Currency AdaptationThomas De La RueTDLRSecurity PrintingFiji1942Pick 45cNew Zealand Pick 155PMG 20Very FineMuseum Grade

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Honduras 1863 five pesos treasury vale de hacienda with national seal and manuscript signatures, Pick 7

Honduras 1863 - 5 Pesos Treasury Bond Vale de Hacienda República Libre, Soberano e Independiente (Pick 7)

The document prominently displays the national seal of the 'República de Honduras Libre, Soberano e Independiente', featuring the triangular emblem with radiant sun and landscape motif adopted after independence. Ornamental engraved pillars and scrollwork frame the design, reflecting the formal visual language used for official fiscal documents in nineteenth-century Central America. Read more →

HondurasTreasury Bond (Vale de Hacienda)18635 PesosUncertified (Manuscript Signed, Cancelled) Treasury BondVale de HaciendaFiscal CertificateGovernment ObligationManuscript SignedRepublica de Honduras Libre Soberano e IndependienteHonduras National SealCentral American Fiscal HistoryEarly Republican FinanceHonduras18635 PesosPick 7CancelledRedeemed Treasury InstrumentMuseum Grade

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Greenland 1856 6 Skilling R.M. Danish Administration Pick A33r Remainder PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

Greenland 1856 - 6 Skilling R.M. Danish Administration Colonial Remainder (Pick A33r)

Before Greenland adopted krone-based currency in the early 20th century, its economy relied on a closed credit system tied to Danish commerce. These Skilling notes-issued in denominations from 1 to 96-were part of that structure, designed exclusively for use at colonial trading posts (Handelssteder). Their refined design reflects Denmark’s effort to maintain both fiscal order and royal presence in its Arctic territories. Read more →

GreenlandRemainder18566 Skilling R.M.PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated (Remainder) GreenlandDanish Administration6 Skilling1856Colonial CurrencyRemainderPick a33rRoyal Greenland Trading DepartmentArctic EconomyEducationalNumismatic History

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Poland 1994 50 Zlotych Pick 175a PMG 70 EPQ Star Top Pop, serial HC7367738

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Serial HC7367738 PMG 70 EPQ Star Issued Note (Pick 175a)

Catalogued as Pick 175a and CM#198a-b, this HC-prefix note is a high-grade example of domestic Polish production from the 1994 series and documents the PWPW phase of the 50 Zlotych printing sequence. Read more →

PolandIssued Note199450 ZlotychPMG 70 EPQ Star (Top Pop) Poland1994 Issue50 zlotychPick 175aKazimierz IIIPolska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych PWPWTDLRPMG 70 EPQ StarPMG 70 EPQTop PopIssued NoteWatermark: King Kazimierz III

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