Collection PL

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

The omission of the Arabic inscription reflects the rapid transition from design approval to public release during the early years of Libya’s republican currency reform. While the portrait, guilloche framework, and security architecture had been fully finalized, secondary legal text lagged behind the production schedule, resulting in a brief circulation window for this inscription-free variant. Read more →

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

When collected alongside Pick 37a, this issue provides a clear, two-step record of how a single denomination evolved during its first years of circulation. The change illustrates how political, legal, and administrative considerations could be incorporated into an established security design without altering its core structure. Read more →

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

This certified example is especially important because issued 1912 overprint notes normally survived in circulated condition. High-denomination emergency paper was not produced for collectors; it was made to solve an immediate fiscal problem and was expected to work in the economy. Most examples were handled, redeemed, withdrawn, damaged, or lost. A PMG 65 EPQ Gem Uncirculated survivor with original paper quality is therefore extraordinary. The grade places this note at the very top level of preservation for the type, and the EPQ designation confirms the exceptional originality of the paper surface. Read more →

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

Paper Money Guaranty identifies this item as a Design of Pick 6, reflecting its direct relationship to the issued banknote while confirming that the photographic proof itself is not a listed Pick type. The photographs are not legal tender and were never intended for circulation. They bear no signatures, serial numbers, or security features associated with issued notes. Read more →

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

This 1920 Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound proof is a completed proof-stage example of one of the most visually distinctive private-bank issues from Ireland before partition. Dated Belfast, 1st June 1920, and bearing serial number A 00,005, the note belongs to the Ireland category rather than the later Northern Ireland issue structure. Its PMG classification as Proof, together with the Pick 388p and UB39 references, places it among the specialized archival forms of Ulster Bank Limited's early twentieth-century note production. Read more →

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

As a historical artifact, this Derby Bank proof is not merely an early banknote design, but a primary source for understanding how trust, credit, and security were constructed in Britain’s pre-central-bank era. It stands as a reference-level survivor from a monetary system that would disappear within decades, replaced by national standardization and institutional regulation. Read more →

Brazil 1963 - Tesouro Nacional 20 Cruzeiros Front & Back Proof

The 1963 series appeared during the last years of the old Cruzeiro (1942–1967) before successive redenominations reshaped the national currency. These proofs reflect the Tesouro Nacional’s collaboration with ABNC to maintain artistic consistency and technical refinement at a time when Brazil sought to project economic stability through design. Fine guilloche work, shaded intaglio portraits, and subtle tints illustrate ABNC’s precision craftsmanship for Latin American clients. Read more →

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

As such, this proof bridges three distinct eras of monetary evolution: engraved financial instruments of the nineteenth century, Travellers Cheque and Travelers Check systems of the twentieth century, and the electronic payment networks that define global travel today. Read more →

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

This example is a photographic proof, a distinct proofing format used to capture and evaluate the engraved face before commitment to full production printing. Photographic proofs were employed to assess engraving clarity, ornamental balance, typographic hierarchy, denomination placement, portrait treatment, and the overall visual integrity of the design. The sepia-toned image preserves the Thomas Cook and Son title banner, large denomination devices, dense geometric background, portrait vignette, payment wording, and signature areas in a clean production-review state. Read more →

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

The lower panel separates payment terms by location. Within the Indian Empire, the cheque was payable at its stated value of one hundred rupees. In other countries, payment was made at the applicable exchange rate used for sight drafts on London. This wording places the instrument directly within Thomas Cook's international settlement network, linking rupee payments in India with London-based financial exchange. Read more →