Collection — Specimens, Proofs & Issued Banknotes

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37a, Without Arabic Inscription)

The portrait of Omar al-Mukhtar, rendered with deep-bite intaglio and dense cross-hatching, embodies the ideological shift of Libyan currency away from monarchical symbolism toward revolutionary and anti-colonial identity. In Pick 37a, this visual message appears in its purest issued form, unaccompanied by the later standardized legal legend. Read more →

LibyaIssued Note197110 DinarsPMG 65 Gem Uncirculated Exceptional Paper Quality Issued BanknoteEarly Circulation VarietyWithout Arabic InscriptionBaseline Issued DesignOmar al MukhtarPost Monarchy Currency ReformLibyan Arab RepublicCentral Bank of LibyaLibya1971Pick 37aPick 37Exceptional Paper QualityMuseum Grade

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Libya 1972 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37b, With Arabic Inscription)

The addition of the inscription reflects administrative consolidation rather than a redesign of the note’s security or artistic elements. The portrait die of Omar al-Mukhtar, the guilloche framework, underprint palette, and watermark usage remain unchanged, confirming that the inscription was applied as a typographic layer without disturbing the intaglio engraving. Read more →

LibyaIssued Note197210 DinarsPMG 65 Gem Uncirculated Exceptional Paper Quality Issued BanknoteFinalized Circulation VarietyWith Arabic InscriptionRegulatory StandardizationOmar al MukhtarPost Monarchy Currency ReformLibyan Arab RepublicCentral Bank of LibyaLibya1972Pick 37bPick 37Exceptional Paper QualityMuseum Grade

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Paraguay 1907 100 Pesos Banco de la República note with 1912 Emisión del Estado state overprint on the face, Pick 134, base Pick 159, printed by Waterlow & Sons, London, PMG 65 EPQ Gem Uncirculated Top Pop

Paraguay 1907 - 100 Pesos with 1912 State Overprint (Pick 134, Base Pick 159)

The 1912 overprint was not a decorative or routine bank marking. It was an emergency act of monetary authority. Paraguay entered 1912 under severe political and fiscal pressure, with civil unrest, weakened banking confidence, and a shortage of reliable circulating paper. Rather than waiting for an entirely new currency series to be prepared, the government turned to existing Banco de la República stocks and converted them into state-recognized obligations by means of a direct overprint. The oval “Emisión del Estado” stamp announced that the note was no longer merely an earlier bank issue, but had been accepted into the emergency monetary structure of the state. Read more →

ParaguayOverprint Issue1907100 PesosPMG 65 EPQ Gem Uncirculated (Top Pop) Overprint Issue100 PesosPick 134Pick 159Base Pick 159State OverprintSingle-Side OverprintFace OverprintProvisionalEmergency State IssueFiscal RevalidationGovernment RevalidationWaterlow & SonsBanco de la RepúblicaEmisión del EstadoLey de 11 de Enero de 1912Moneda NacionalDiez Pesos Oro SelladoGold-Value ClauseSeries ARed Serial NumberBlack Oval OverprintArchitectural VignetteGuilloché Security DesignParaguayan Emergency Issues1912 ReformParaguayan Civil War PeriodSouth American Monetary HistoryEarly 20th Century FinanceEmergency CurrencyOverprint VarietiesState LiabilityCurrency RevalidationParaguayRepublic of Paraguay19071912PMG 65 EPQGem UncirculatedTop PopMuseum GradeR7 Extremely RareHistory

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Barbados 1943 Government of Barbados 100 Dollars unissued banknote design, front and back archival photographs, PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated

Barbados 1943 - Government of Barbados 100 Dollars Prefix AA Front and Back Archival Photograph Pair (Pick Unlisted)

These photographs were produced as part of internal design and approval workflows, serving as durable reference records for engraving detail, typographic placement, and overall layout. During the Second World War, proposed high-denomination issues across the British West Indies were frequently postponed or abandoned due to material constraints, security considerations, and shifting fiscal priorities. Archival photographic records preserved approved or provisional designs without committing to engraving plates or printed issues. Read more →

BarbadosFront & Back Archival Photograph1943100 DollarsPMG 65 Gem Uncirculated Archival PhotographFront Archival PhotographBack Archival PhotographFront and Back Archival Photograph PairUnissued Banknote Design100 DollarsGovernment of BarbadosBritish Colonial AdministrationKing George VIBradbury WilkinsonBWCDesign of Pick 6Pick UnlistedPMG 65Wartime Currency DesignCaribbean Monetary HistoryBritish West IndiesSecurity Printing HistoryPublic Finance HistoryBarbados1943Museum GradeR9 Extremely Rare

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Ireland 1920 Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound proof, Pick 388p and UB39, serial A 00,005, graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated, with blue central denomination panel, maritime vignette, Belfast and Dublin border, and Charles Skipper and East Limited London printer imprint

Ireland 1920 - Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound Proof (Pick 388p / UB39)

The printer imprint at the lower margin reads Charles Skipper and East Limited, London, identifying the specialist security printer responsible for the engraved proof. PMG records only one graded example for Pick 388p, and this PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated proof is that sole recorded example. Its population 1 status places it at the highest visible rarity level for the catalog number and supports its classification as an R9 Extremely Rare proof survivor. Within the Ulster Bank Limited sequence, it stands as the earlier completed proof counterpart to the later Northern Ireland proof and specimen material, including the Pick 306p design family. Read more →

IrelandProof19201 PoundPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated ProofCompleted ProofPrivate Banknote IssueAuthorized Banknote IssueIrish Private BankSerial A 00,0051 PoundUlster BankUlster Bank LimitedBelfastDublinBlue Central Denomination PanelMaritime VignetteSailing ShipDockside SceneCharles Skipper and East LimitedCharles Skipper and East Limited LondonLondon Security PrinterBanknote PrintingSecurity PrintingEngraved ProofPrivate Banknote ProductionProof-stage MaterialPick 388pUB39Irish Banking HistoryPre-partition IrelandPrivate Banknote TraditionCommercial Banknote IssueIrish Financial HistoryEarly Twentieth Century Paper MoneyHistoryIreland1920PMG 64PMG 64 Choice UncirculatedTop PopPopulation 1R9 Extremely RareMuseum Grade

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Great Britain Derby Bank £5 proof, circa 1806–1812, engraved private bank issue payable via Samuel Smith & Co., PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated

Great Britain c.1806–1812 - Derby Bank £5 Proof (Pick Unlisted)

A printer’s proof of a £5 note prepared for the Derby Bank during the formative years of British provincial banking, dating to circa 1806–1812. This piece belongs to the critical transitional period between eighteenth-century handwritten credit instruments and the fully industrialized, security-driven banknote production that would dominate the nineteenth century. Read more →

Great BritainProof18065 PoundsPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated Proof5 PoundsPrivate Bank IssueProvincial BankingEarly British BanknotesNapoleonic War EraBank Restriction PeriodSecurity EngravingCalligraphic DesignPre Standardization CurrencyLondon Correspondent BankingGreat BritainDerby18061806–1812Pick UnlistedMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Brazil 1963 20 Cruzeiros front and back proof, PMG 67 Superb Gem Unc

Brazil 1963 - Tesouro Nacional 20 Cruzeiros Front & Back Proof

Archival proofs of this denomination and period are seldom encountered intact, making this example a tangible record of Brazil’s engraving heritage at its technical and aesthetic peak, bridging imperial portraiture with modern Republican identity. Read more →

BrazilFront & Back Proof196320 CruzeirosPMG 67 Superb Gem UNC ABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyPMG 67 EPQTesouro NacionalDom Pedro IIBrazil196320 CruzeirosAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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Portugal 50 Mil Réis Specimen, ND (1917), Pick 110s, PMG 35

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

This note pairs with the front progressive proof (Pick 110pp1) also in this collection, together forming a complete archival narrative from first engraving test to approved production plate. Few institutions, let alone private collectors, hold both. The specimen stands as Portugal’s last great multi-color Réis note-an artifact of national ambition translated into London intaglio during the brief, idealistic years of the First Republic. Read more →

PortugalSpecimen191750 Mil RéisPMG 35 Choice Very Fine Portugal First RepublicPick 110sPick 110ND 1917High DenominationPortugal1917

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Portugal 50 Mil Réis front progressive proof, ND (1917), Pick 110pp1, PMG 25 EPQ

Portugal 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 →

PortugalProgressive Proof191750 Mil RéisPMG 25 EPQ Very Fine Portugal First RepublicPick 110pp1ND 1917Pick 110Portugal1917

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Great Britain ca. 1904 Thomas Cook and Son 50 Dollars Circular Note photographic proof mounted on card stock with signature field and engraved security background

Great Britain 1904 - Thomas Cook & Son $50 Circular Note Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

No comparable photographic proofs of the 50 Dollars Thomas Cook Circular Note are presently documented in grading records, institutional collections, auction archives, or published references. This absence of parallels establishes the piece as a unique surviving example of its type and a primary reference artifact for the study of early international travel finance. Read more →

Great BritainPhotographic Proof190450 DollarsPCGS 58 Choice About New Photographic Proof50 DollarsCircular NoteTravellers ChequeTravelers CheckSignature Verification InstrumentPrivate IssuePre Issue Production ProofMounted on Card StockThomas Cook and SonEarly Travellers Cheque SystemEarly Travelers Check SystemInternational Finance HistoryGlobal Payment SystemsEdwardian Security PrintingProofing and Plate ApprovalDesign Verification ArtifactGreat Britain1904Pick UnlistedMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Great Britain ca. 1922 Thomas Cook & Son £5 Travellers Cheque photographic proof mounted on card stock, PCGS 63 Choice New

Great Britain 1922 - Thomas Cook and Son 5 Pounds Travellers Cheque Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

As a production-stage artifact, this photographic proof occupies a reference-level position in the study of private finance, security printing, and the evolution of traveller-based monetary instruments. Its connection to the matching specimen strengthens the archival value of both pieces, preserving the movement from photographic design verification to specimen-stage presentation within one of the most influential travel-payment systems of the twentieth century. Read more →

Great BritainPhotographic Proof19225 PoundsPCGS 63 Choice New Photographic Proof5 PoundsTravellers ChequeTravelers CheckPrivate IssuePre Issue Production ProofMounted on Card StockThomas Cook and SonInternational Travel FinancePrivate Payment InstrumentsPost World War One FinanceSecurity PrintingDesign Verification ArtifactProofing ProcessGreat Britain1922Pick UnlistedMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Great Britain ca. 1923 Thomas Cook & Son 100 Rupees Travellers Cheque photographic proof mounted on card stock, PCGS 62 New

Great Britain 1923 - Thomas Cook & Son Travellers Cheque 100 Rupees Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

By the early 1920s, Thomas Cook & Son had developed a worldwide private payment network serving international travellers, merchants, and customers moving between currencies. Rupee-denominated travellers cheques formed part of that system and allowed substantial sums to be carried and converted through Thomas Cook's established offices and correspondents. The 100 Rupees denomination represented a significant value and was suited to extended travel and major expenditure within the Indian Empire. Read more →

Great BritainPhotographic Proof1923100 RupeesPCGS 62 New Photographic ProofTravellers ChequeTravelers CheckPrivate IssuePre Issue Production ProofMounted on Card StockThomas Cook and SonImperial Travel FinanceBritish India Monetary SystemPrivate Payment InstrumentsSecurity PrintingDesign Verification ArtifactProofing ProcessGreat BritainBritish India1923Pick UnlistedMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique100 RupeesOne Hundred RupeesThomas Cook Travellers ChequeThomas Cook Travelers CheckIndian EmpireIndian Empire Travellers ChequeRupee Travellers ChequeRupee Travelers CheckElephant VignetteIndian ElephantElephant DesignElephant and AttendantsIndian Themed DesignGood for Twelve MonthsTwelve Month ValidityNo 000000Zero Serial NumberUnissued Serial NumberLetter of IndicationSignature VerificationTraveller IdentificationSight DraftSight Draft on ReverseLondon Sight DraftExchange Rate on LondonInternational Payment InstrumentInternational Travel FinancePrivate Financial InstrumentNegotiable InstrumentColonial FinanceColonial Payment SystemBritish Indian FinanceThomas Cook FinanceThomas Cook Financial InstrumentEarly Travellers ChequeEarly Travelers CheckPhotographic Production ProofEngraved Design ProofProduction Stage ArtifactOriginal Card MountGuillocheGuilloche Security DesignSecurity EngravingDenomination Medallion100 Rupees MedallionProof Serial 000000Archival ProofPresentation ProofFinancial EphemeraPrivate Paper MoneyTravel MoneyTravel CurrencyGlobal Payment NetworkEarly Twentieth Century Finance1920s Financial Instrument1923 Thomas CookThomas Cook IndiaThomas Cook British India

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