Collection — Specimens, Proofs & Issued Banknotes

China 1920 Xinjiang textile emergency currency printed on red cloth by woodblock, showing framed inscription panel and ornamental borders

China 1920 - Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

An issued textile emergency currency produced in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) in the early Republican period, printed by hand from woodblock onto coarse red-dyed cotton cloth. This note forms part of the broader tradition of frontier textile currency developed in western China under conditions of monetary instability, material shortage, and decentralized administrative control. Read more →

ChinaTextile Emergency Currency1920UnspecifiedIssued (Textile Emergency Currency) Textile BanknoteTextile Emergency CurrencyCloth BanknoteIssued Emergency MoneyWoodblock PrintingFrontier CurrencyXinjiangSinkiangLocal Authority IssueEarly Republican PeriodRegional Monetary SystemChina1920Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniquePick Unlisted

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China 1921 Xinjiang textile emergency currency printed on red cloth by woodblock, featuring a winged emblem with sun motif and framed inscription panel

China 1921 - Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth with Sun Emblem (Pick Unlisted)

No catalog listing, institutional reference, or documented parallel example corresponding to this specific textile type with sun-emblem motif is known. Based on observable evidence, this note is treated as a single known example at present and classified as R9 under the collection’s evidence-based system. Read more →

ChinaTextile Emergency Currency1921UnspecifiedIssued (Textile Emergency Currency) Textile BanknoteTextile Emergency CurrencyCloth BanknoteIssued Emergency MoneyWoodblock PrintingFrontier CurrencyXinjiangSinkiangLocal Authority IssueEarly Republican PeriodSun EmblemChina1921Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniquePick Unlisted

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China 1922 Xinjiang textile emergency currency printed on red cloth by woodblock, with framed inscription panel, vegetal borders, and wave-pattern lower band

China 1922 - Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

Although the lower wave band reflects a shared regional design vocabulary common across Xinjiang textile issues, the overall composition, emblem structure, and calligraphic execution distinguish this note from the known 1880 Xinjiang issue and from later, more standardized paper emissions such as those of the Dihua Coin Bureau. It represents a descended regional design rather than the same issue or authority. Read more →

ChinaTextile Emergency Currency1922UnspecifiedIssued (Textile Emergency Currency) Textile BanknoteTextile Emergency CurrencyCloth BanknoteIssued Emergency MoneyWoodblock PrintingFrontier CurrencyXinjiangSinkiangLocal Authority IssueEarly Republican PeriodRegional Monetary SystemChina1922Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniquePick Unlisted

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China 1924 Dihua Official Coin Bureau 40 wen textile emergency banknote printed on red cotton with Chinese and Uyghur inscriptions

China 1924 - Dihua Official Coin Bureau 40 Wen Textile Emergency Issue (Pick Unlisted)

As a historical artifact, this textile note illustrates how regional authorities in early Republican China adapted monetary practice to local constraints. Its material choice, bilingual inscriptions, and woodblock execution record a pragmatic system of emergency finance at the edge of state infrastructure, making it one of the most distinctive surviving expressions of provisional currency in twentieth-century China. Read more →

ChinaTextile Banknote192440 WenCirculated (Textile Issue) Textile BanknoteTextile Emergency CurrencyCloth CurrencyEmergency Issue40 WenWoodblock PrintingDihua Official Coin BureauXinjiangRepublican ChinaRegional Monetary SystemMultilingual CurrencyProvisional FinanceChina1924R8 Extremely RareMuseum GradePick Unlisted

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Specimen full sheet Serie A No. 23327 Banco de Zaragoza 100 reales vellón with header and talón, Pick S451s, 1 May 1857

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

Founded in 1857 under the banking reforms introduced by the Law of January 28, 1856, the Banco de Zaragoza was one of several short-lived provincial issuing banks authorized to produce their own currency. The bank adopted a strict denomination-to-series 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. Operating only until its absorption into the Banco de España in 1874, the bank issued comparatively small volumes, and most circulating notes were redeemed and destroyed during the centralisation of Spanish monetary issuance. Read more →

SpainSpecimen Full Sheet with Talon1857100 Reales VellónUncirculated (Specimen Full Sheet) SpecimenPick S451sFull SheetHeader PanelTalonUnissuedSerie ASerial 23327100 RealesBanco de ZaragozaSpanish Provincial IssuePrivate Banknote19th Century SpainReales VellonMadrid EngravingMonetary HistorySecurity PrintingSpain1857R8 Extremely RareMuseum Grade

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Specimen full sheet Banco de Zaragoza 200 reales vellón, Serie B No. 07887, with header and talón, Pick S452s, 14 May 1857

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

The Banco de Zaragoza was established in 1857 under the banking reforms of the Law of January 28, 1856, which authorized several provincial banks to issue their own currency. The bank followed a strict denomination-to-series 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. Its issuing privilege lasted only until 1874, when all provincial banks were absorbed into the Banco de España and nearly all circulating notes were redeemed and destroyed, leaving specimen and archival material as the primary survivors. Read more →

SpainSpecimen Full Sheet with Talon1857200 Reales VellónUncirculated (Specimen Full Sheet) SpecimenPick S452sFull SheetHeader PanelTalonUnissuedSerie BSerial 07887200 RealesBanco de ZaragozaSpanish Provincial IssuePrivate Banknote19th Century SpainReales VellonMadrid EngravingSecurity PrintingMonetary HistorySpain1857R8 Extremely RareMuseum Grade

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Specimen full sheet Banco de Zaragoza 500 reales vellón, Serie C No. 08703, with header and talón, Pick S453s, 14 May 1857

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 →

SpainSpecimen Full Sheet with Talon1857500 Reales VellónUncirculated (Specimen Full Sheet) SpecimenPick S453sFull SheetHeader PanelTalonUnissuedSerie CSerial 08703500 RealesBanco de ZaragozaSpanish Provincial IssuePrivate Banknote19th Century SpainReales VellonMadrid EngravingSecurity PrintingMonetary HistorySpain1857R8 Extremely RareMuseum Grade

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New Zealand 1895–1908 Bank of New Zealand 10 Pounds Brown specimen with dual serial numbers 097476 and 102475, perforated SPECIMEN, Bradbury Wilkinson printing, PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated

New Zealand 1895-1908 - Bank of New Zealand £10 Brown with Serial Number Prefix Specimen (Pick S193bs)

As a specimen combining dual control serial numbers, perforated specimen designation, retained audit margin, and full original engraved structure, this example documents Bradbury Wilkinson’s production and verification workflow during the late colonial period. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen with Serial Number Prefix189510 PoundsPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated Specimen10 PoundsBrownBNZ Color LineageSerial Prefix Specimen097476102475Perforated SPECIMENBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S193bsBank of New ZealandPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankNew Zealand Banking HistoryMāori Portrait SeriesVictorian Edwardian TransitionSecurity Printing HistoryOceania NumismaticsHistoryNew Zealand189519081895-1908PMG 63Choice UncirculatedMuseum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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New Zealand 1916–1920 Bank of New Zealand £5 Red-Rose wartime specimen from the BNZ orange lineage, Pick S227s, serial prefix 7/180001–7/220000, PMG 65 EPQ Top Pop

New Zealand 1916-1920 - Bank of New Zealand £5 Red-Rose (Orange Lineage) with Serial Number Prefix Specimen (Pick S227s)

The 1916–1920 BNZ series belongs to the final decades of New Zealand’s private-bank note-issuing era before the establishment of the Reserve Bank in 1934. Internal audit and approval material from this production cycle was normally retained only for operational purposes and was seldom preserved once its function had ended. Surviving examples are exceptionally scarce. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen with Serial Number Prefix19165 PoundsPMG 65 EPQ Gem Uncirculated (Top Pop) Specimen5 PoundsRed-RoseBNZ Color LineageOrange LineageWith Serial PrefixPrinter AnnotationCANCELLED PerforationHigh DenominationBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S227sBank of New ZealandPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankWartime IssueNew Zealand Banking HistoryMāori Portrait SeriesMaritime Economy NotesSecurity Printing HistoryNew Zealand191619201916–1920Top PopPMG 65 EPQMuseum GradeR8 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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New Zealand 1913 - Bank of New Zealand £5 Orange Multi-Serial Approval Specimen (Pick S192ms)

Multi-serial approval specimens were retained at the beginning of a production run and preserved exclusively for archival inspection. Unlike standard zero-serial file specimens, these pieces document live numbering behavior and plate stability under operational conditions. As a result, they were produced in far smaller quantities and were far more likely to be destroyed during later file reductions. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen19135 PoundsPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Top Pop) SpecimenApproval Specimen5 PoundsOrangeBNZ Color LineageMulti-Serial ApprovalBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S192msBank of New ZealandPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankNew Zealand Banking HistoryWWI-Era ProductionVictorian-Edwardian TransitionMāori Portrait SeriesMaritime Economy NotesSecurity Printing HistoryOceania NumismaticsNew Zealand1913PMG 63Museum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 proof, circa 1905–1910, PMG 63 EPQ

Australia 1905–1910 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Specimen Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Unlisted in Pick and graded PMG 63 EPQ Choice Uncirculated (Top Pop), this specimen marks the transition from private colonial issues to the newly centralised Commonwealth currency introduced after 1910. It reflects both the confidence of early-twentieth-century Australian banking and the enduring partnership between London engravers and Australian financial institutions. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen Proof19055 PoundsPMG 63 EPQ (Top Pop) Specimen5 PoundsSpecimen ProofProofPick UnlistedCommercial Banking Company of Sydney LimitedBradbury WilkinsonBWCLarge SizePre-FederationColonial SpecimenEngraved Security PrintingAustralian Private BanknotesSydney Banking HistorySecurity Printing HistoryEdwardian DesignBritish Engraving InfluenceTransition to Commonwealth CurrencyEarly 20th Century BankingAustralian Monetary HistoryAustraliaSydney190519101905–1910PMG 63 EPQTop PopMuseum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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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 with Serial Prefix SPECIMEN (Pick Unlisted, MVR4a)

Colouration is restrained compared to later proof or finished production states, indicating an earlier stage in the approval or validation process. Engraving quality, paper, and layout correspond to Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. master production standards for Australian private banks at the close of the nineteenth century. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen with Serial Number Prefix18895 PoundsUncirculated SpecimenSpecimen with Serial Number Prefix5 PoundsCommercial Banking Company of Sydney LimitedBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick UnlistedColonial SpecimenEngraved Security PrintingAustralian Private BanknotesNew South Wales Banking HistoryPre-Federation Finance19th Century BankingSecurity Printing HistoryAustralian Monetary HistoryAustraliaSydney1889Museum GradeR8 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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