Collection

Paraguay 1907 — 100 Pesos with 1912 State Overprint

Provisional issue created on base Pick 159 during Paraguay’s sweeping 1912 monetary reform. The bold oval 'Emisión del Estado – 11 de Enero de 1912' was applied in official black ink to validate existing 1907 stock. These overprints served as stop-gap currency while new designs were prepared, making them both historically and fiscally important. ... Read more →

Barbados 1943 — $100 Front & Back Archival Photograph (Unlisted)

Pair of archival photographs showing both the front and back of an unissued $100 design dated 1943. Produced within British colonial banking workflows, these monochrome prints documented layout, portraits, and border work before (or instead of) any production run. The images preserve the wartime high denomination that never reached circulation, with King George VI portraiture and formal colonial ornament. ... Read more →

Ireland 1920 — Ulster Bank Ltd. £1 (Proof)

Archival proof for Ulster Bank Ltd., dated 1920. Printed by Waterlow & Sons, London, the note displays finely executed allegories and maritime motifs, reflecting both classical design and national symbolism in the early 20th century. The Waterlow imprint remains visible in the margin, a hallmark of genuine proofs. ... Read more →

Great Britain c.1806–12 — Derby Bank £5 (Proof)

Private-bank proof for Derby Bank, engraved and printed during the early mechanized-engraving era of Perkins & Heath, circa 1806–1812. This design reflects the formative period of British security printing when provincial banks commissioned bespoke copper and early steel plates for limited circulation. The note carries intricate calligraphic text, a bank crest, and the London payable line referencing Samuel Smith & Co., typical of pre-Banking-Act private issues that preceded national standardization. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 — Tesouro Nacional 20 Cruzeiros (Front & Back Proof)

Superb archival proof of the 20 Cruzeiros note, produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Tesouro Nacional. Both obverse and reverse are mounted on a single presentation sheet, showcasing the portrait of Dom Pedro II at right and an allegorical vignette of reclining Industry on the reverse. The pair demonstrates the harmony of engraving and typographic composition typical of Brazil’s mid-century currency. ... Read more →

Portugal ND (1917) — Banco de Portugal 50 Mil Réis Specimen (Pick 110s)

Specimen of the Banco de Portugal 50 Mil Réis, the grandest denomination of the First Republic’s intricate 1916–1919 issue. Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, without serials or signatures and perforated SPECIMEN, it reveals the full design before numbering and underprint were applied. PMG 35 Choice Very Fine. ... Read more →

Portugal ND (1917) — Banco de Portugal 50 Mil Réis Front Progressive Proof (Pick 110pp1)

Front progressive proof for the Banco de Portugal 50 Mil Réis, printed in a single intaglio color to test composition and line fidelity before the final multi-color stones were prepared. Without underprint or overprint, it exposes the engraver’s hand—the bare guilloche network and portrait cartouche that later defined the completed note. PMG 25 EPQ Very Fine. ... Read more →

Great Britain — Thomas Cook & Son Circular Note $50 (Proof, ca. 1904)

Unsigned photographic proof of a $50 Circular Note produced by Thomas Cook & Son around 1904. Circular Notes were the forerunners of modern travellers cheques. Issued to clients of the Cook travel agency, they allowed holders to draw equivalent cash abroad through the firm’s authorized banking correspondents. ... Read more →

Great Britain — Thomas Cook & Son Travellers Cheque £5 (Proof, ca. 1922)

Photographic proof of a £5 Thomas Cook & Son Travellers Cheque produced in the early 1920s. By this period, Cook’s cheques had become internationally recognized instruments accepted throughout the British Empire and allied banking networks. The £5 denomination served travelers within the United Kingdom and on continental routes, combining portability with the firm’s guarantee of redemption through its global offices. ... Read more →

Great Britain — Thomas Cook & Son Travellers Cheque 100 Rupees (Proof, ca. 1923)

Unsigned photographic proof of a 100 Rupees Travellers Cheque by Thomas Cook & Son, produced circa 1923 for issue in British India and adjoining territories. These rupee-denominated cheques were part of Cook’s regional adaptation strategy, allowing British and colonial travelers to draw funds in local currency without transporting specie. Each carried detailed bilingual text, ornate guilloche borders, and a space for dual signatures—of the purchaser and the company cashier—mirroring the format later used by standardized travellers cheques. ... Read more →

U.S. 1929 — $10 Warren NB of Peabody, Massachusetts (Type 2, Discovery Note)

This 1929 Type 2 $10 note from The Warren National Bank of Peabody, Massachusetts (Charter 616) represents the only recorded example for this charter. No $5 or $20 denominations are known, making this piece the definitive Type 2 issue for the bank. The Type 2 series, introduced late in 1929, displayed both the charter number and denomination twice on the face, a feature unique to this final issue of National Bank Notes. ... Read more →

U.S. 1929 — $10 The First National Bank of Philadelphia, PA (Charter #1)

This Series of 1929 Type 1 $10 note was issued by The First National Bank of Philadelphia, the very first institution to receive a national charter in June 1863. Its Charter #1 status makes any surviving note from this bank historically important as a direct link to the origins of the U.S. National Banking System. ... Read more →