Collection

United States 1935F — 1 Dollar Silver Certificate (Friedberg 1615, UI Block) Courtesy Autograph by Treasurer Ivy Baker Priest, PMG 64 EPQ Choice Uncirculated

This 1935F 1 Dollar Silver Certificate (Friedberg 1615, UI Block) bears a distinguished Courtesy Autograph by Ivy Baker Priest, Treasurer of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Her handwritten blue-ink signature appears directly above the printed facsimile of her name, representing one of the most desirable forms of official Treasury autographs collected today. ... Read more →

United States 1928G — 2 Dollars Legal Tender Note, Red Seal Star Replacement (Friedberg 1508*), PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated

This 1928G 2 Dollars Legal Tender Note (Friedberg 1508*, A Block) is a high-grade Star Replacement example from the first small-size red seal issue of U.S. currency. The star prefix before the serial number *03707599A identifies it as a replacement printed to substitute for a defective note detected during Bureau of Engraving and Printing inspection — an early quality control process that makes such notes inherently scarcer than standard production pieces. ... Read more →

New Zealand ND (1924–1933) — Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings, Perforated SPECIMEN (Pick S161s), Charles Skipper & East London Proof

Printer’s archival proof for the Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings, classified in the Standard Catalog and PMG system as New Zealand Pick S161s (ND 1924–1933) and attributed to Charles Skipper & East, London. Although cataloged under New Zealand because of the bank’s cross-Tasman operations and later currency context, this piece is fundamentally an Australian bank design printed in London—typical of interwar colonial practice where London firms supplied house styles for banks active across Australasia. This specimen is single-sided in orange-red with full untrimmed margins, a blank reverse, and the characteristic perforated legend “SPECIMEN C. ... Read more →

Japan — Edo Period (18th–19th Century) Hansatsu, Feudal Domain Issue with Daikokuten Reverse, Woodblock on Handmade Washi Paper

Feudal-domain hansatsu (藩札) issued during the Edo period, printed by hand-carved woodblocks on traditional washi paper. Hansatsu functioned as local paper currency within individual han (domains) under the Tokugawa shogunate, serving as both an economic and administrative document backed by rice or metal reserves. Unlike later national banknotes, hansatsu rarely displayed a standardized denomination. ... Read more →

United States 1929 Type 2 — 5 Dollars National Bank Note — The First National Bank of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Fr. 1800-2, Charter 1, PMG 20 Very Fine)

Issued by The First National Bank of Philadelphia under Charter 1 — the very first federal national bank charter granted following the National Banking Act of 1863 — this five-dollar note represents the closing generation of National Currency printed before the system ended in the 1930s. Charter 1 defined the origin of federally chartered banking in the United States, anchoring Philadelphia’s financial network through multiple eras: Civil War greenbacks, Gilded Age expansion, and the economic transitions of the early twentieth century. Its officers, including C. ... Read more →

Australia 1965 — 10 Dollars Traveller’s Cheque (Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, Approved Design Proof by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.)

Approved design proof for the 10 Dollars traveller’s cheque prepared by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Dated 1965 and annotated “As Submitted – Approved,” this is the final approved version that advanced to production, forming the reference model for the bank’s post-decimal traveller’s cheque issue. The engraving combines subtle multi-tone guilloche in olive and emerald green with precise microline work and a centred map-and-harbour vignette, emblematic of Sydney’s trade and maritime identity. ... Read more →

Australia 1965 — 20 Dollars Traveller’s Cheque (Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, Rejected Design Proof by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.)

Rejected design proof for the proposed 20 Dollars traveller’s cheque printed and engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Submitted in 1965 and annotated “Not Approved,” it represents a parallel concept in the three-denomination traveller’s cheque proposal of that year. The composition features elegant guilloche borders in blue-green and lavender hues, overprinted with a large central watermark-style globe bearing the bank’s initials C.B.C. ... Read more →

Australia 1965 — 50 Dollars Traveller’s Cheque (Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, Rejected Design Proof by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.)

Rejected design proof for the 50 Dollars traveller’s cheque prepared by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Submitted in 1965 as the top denomination in the same three-value series, this pink-rose specimen bears the annotation “Not Approved” and the same submission date as the $20 proof. The engraving is rich and multi-layered, displaying Bradbury Wilkinson’s refined late-intaglio craftsmanship with deep guilloche patterns and broad, formal typography. ... Read more →

Australia 1961 — Bank of New South Wales Sterling Traveller’s Cheques, Complete Proof Set (Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London)

Complete archival proof set of five Sterling Traveller’s Cheques produced by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for the Bank of New South Wales in April 1961. The set comprises 2 Pounds, 5 Pounds, 10 Pounds, 20 Pounds, and 50 Pounds, each bearing the printer’s manuscript control notations and dated approval workflow marks from the same submission. Across the set, the faces show the full engraved traveller’s cheque design used by the bank in the early 1960s: multitone intaglio guilloche backgrounds, denomination tablets at the corners, central payable text panels, and the Bank of New South Wales London address at 29 Threadneedle Street. ... Read more →