Collection PL

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 500 Pesos Specimen, Perforated Cancel, Serie A (Pick 40as)

The reverse presents the denomination's expansive agricultural composition, bringing together figures at work, livestock, cultivated land, and the wider rural economy. The scene transforms the reverse into a statement of national productivity, connecting the value represented on the face with the agricultural resources and labor that supported Uruguay's economy. Fine architectural framing and repeated denomination devices enclose the central vignette and reinforce the note's official character. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 500 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie A, Specimen No. 29 (Pick 40as)

The printed number at the lower margin is central to the note's documentary character. Specimen No. 29 records the piece as an individually tracked example, allowing it to be associated with a specific position in the group prepared for official reference, institutional comparison, or controlled presentation. Such numbering transformed the specimen into an accountable object whose movement and retention could be supervised independently of the circulation issue. Read more →

United States 1854 - Empire City Bank 100 Dollars Proof (Pick NY1585G16P)

The Empire City Bank was organized in 1851 and operated during a highly unstable phase of New York banking history, characterized by aggressive credit expansion and the absence of a central banking authority. In early December 1854 the bank failed to meet its Clearing House obligations and was suspended, with formal receivership following in February 1855. Proof material associated with the bank must therefore predate its suspension, firmly placing this note within the closing chapter of the bank’s active life. Read more →

United States 1838 - Olney, Alabama 25 Cents, 50 Cents, 1 Dollar Uncut Sheet Remainder

This uncut sheet represents a remainder issue of fractional and small denomination notes associated with Olney, Alabama, dated 1838. Comprising three vertically arranged designs of twenty five cents, fifty cents, and one dollar, the sheet was never placed into circulation and survives as a production remnant rather than an issued monetary instrument. With only remainders and a small number of falsely completed examples known, the original issuing authority of the Olney notes remains uncertain, and may not have existed as a formal banking institution. Read more →

Italy 1781 - Regie Finanze di Torino 5 Scudi Front Proof Sheet (Pick Unlisted)

This sheet contains two impressions of the five scudi front design produced from plates one and two and printed under full intaglio pressure on official paper stock. Plate identifiers are present within the design, confirming systematic plate-based production rather than decorative or commemorative printing. The impressions exhibit deep plate bite visible from the verso, consistent with working proof material. Read more →

Italy 1745 - Regie Finanze di Torino - 100 Lire Back Proof, Pre-Date Control State (Pick Unlisted)

This proof sheet represents the back of the one hundred lire denomination prepared for the Regie Finanze of the Kingdom of Sardinia and preserves a pre-date control state in which the control framework is fully engraved but carries no engraved date. All elements originate from plate number two. The entire composition is enclosed within a rectangular ornamental frame and printed under full intaglio pressure on official laid paper, with plate impression clearly visible from the verso. Read more →

Italy 1746 - Regie Finanze di Torino - 100 Lire Back Proof, Fixed-Date Control State (Pick Unlisted)

The sheet format preserves full margins and original plate context, confirming that the impression was never prepared for circulation or cutting. No serial numbers, handwritten entries, signatures, or issuance markings are present. This fixed-date back proof sheet therefore records a finalized control stage within the production process of the one hundred lire issue while remaining a non-issued proof artifact. Read more →

Italy 1765 - Regie Finanze di Torino - 100 Lire Front Proof, Final Face State (Pick Unlisted)

The upper text field carries the denomination and obligation wording beginning with Per il Capitale di lire cento, followed by the dated line Torino il p. Gen. 1765. Beneath this appear engraved signature titles arranged in vertical alignment, including Maestro Auditore, Maestro Auditore, Tesoriere generale, and Controllore della Tesoreria, with ruled signature lines left blank. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1970 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Unissued Back Photographic Proof

The design presented here is organized around a symmetrical ornamental framework, with balanced cartouches and patterned fields arranged to stabilize the visual field and discourage counterfeiting. Line density, border weight, and spacing are carefully regulated, reflecting late twentieth century security printing standards in which photographic and photo-engraved proofs were employed to assess tonal contrast, line fidelity, and overall coherence before any final production decisions were made. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Issued Note (Pick 5e)

The obverse is built around a deliberately conservative composition typical of late twentieth century Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited output for British overseas territories. Queen Elizabeth the Second appears at right in a dense engraved portrait field designed to anchor the note’s authority visually and to concentrate anti-counterfeiting linework in a single high-information zone. At center, the Cayman Islands coat of arms is integrated into a bold denomination panel reading One Dollar, a layout that privileges immediate denomination recognition while preserving an uncluttered field for security patterning. Beneath the central panel, the note bears the engraved signature of A. Jefferson, serving as Chairman of the Cayman Islands Currency Board at the time of this printing. The printed serial number 105218 with prefix A/6 occupies the left and right serial positions, providing the operational identity of this specific note within the printed run. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Issued Note (Pick 5d)

Certified PMG 68 Exceptional Paper Quality, this example represents the highest graded level recorded for this type, with no examples graded higher. The Top Pop designation is not incidental: it preserves the original sharpness of the engraved lines, exceptional paper surface integrity, and full design contrast on both faces. As such, this note stands as a reference-quality survivor of a common circulation issue, distinguished not by rarity but by technical preservation and its association with the Jefferson-signed printing phase of the Cayman Islands one dollar series. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Specimen with Red Overprint (Pick 5as)

The defining invalidation on this example is a single bold red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint applied across the face of the note. This classic specimen format represents the standard presentation form used by Thomas De La Rue for institutional reference and controlled distribution. No additional invalidation devices are present: there are no oval NO VALUE stamps, no perforations, and no punch cancellations. The absence of secondary control marks distinguishes this example from later or more heavily invalidated specimen forms. Read more →