Collection PL

New Zealand 1870–1890 — Bank of New Zealand £1 Green Specimen (Pick S191s)

The first Bank of New Zealand specimen and the foundation of the country’s pre-Reserve Bank note lineage. Engraved and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, London, this one pound green specimen (Pick S191s) established the visual architecture reused throughout all later BNZ issues: paired Māori figures at left, an engraved coastal vignette below, and an ornate duty-tint panel framing the ONE POUND denomination. This design became the structural and visual origin of the Bank of New Zealand color lineage that defined New Zealand’s early commercial-bank currency. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1870 — Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1 Peso, Junta de Credito Publico (Signed Ruy / West, Serial 017385)

Earliest emission of the Junta de Credito Publico, dated 4 de Mayo de 1870, representing Uruguay’s first nationally guaranteed paper currency after the financial reform law of the same date. Printed locally in Montevideo by Litografía G. Mas & Cía., the note carries the denomination of 1 Peso, its face tinted green and engraved in fine local intaglio style. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1870 — Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1 Peso, Junta de Credito Publico (Illegible Signature Variant, Serial 710157)

Dated 4 de Mayo de 1870, this 1 Peso note represents the same first national issue of the Junta de Credito Publico but bearing a different handwritten signature type, executed by another board member whose autograph remains partially illegible due to cancellation and ink staining. The printing is identical to the 'Ruy / West' variety, featuring Mercury seated left, Uruguay’s arms top center, and the text 'Ley de 4 de Mayo de 1870'. The green paper stock and scalloped margin are characteristic of local lithography by G. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1870 — Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 Centesimos, Junta de Credito Publico (“Cow Head”) Serial 274594

Issued by the Junta de Credito Publico under the Ley de 4 de Mayo de 1870, this 50 Centesimos note represents one of Uruguay’s earliest government-backed paper currencies. Locally printed in Montevideo by Litografía G. Mas & Cía., the design belongs to the same inaugural emission as the 1 Peso 'Mercury' note. ... Read more →

Italy 1870 — Banca Toscana di Anticipazioni e di Sconto 2 Lire (Pick Unlisted, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated)

Florentine two‑lire "Bono di Cassa" authorized by Royal Decree of 24 April 1870 for the Banca Toscana di Anticipazioni e di Sconto. The face shows Dante Alighieri at left, a boldly engraved LIRE DUE tablet at center, and a red circular control seal of Florence—typical of Tuscan bank instruments immediately after unification. These cashier’s notes formed the short‑term liquidity layer of Italy’s regional banking scene in the 1860s–1870s, sitting between coin and larger banknotes. ... Read more →

Martinique 1870 — Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Unissued Cheque (Pick P.5A)

An unissued cheque for one franc prepared for the Banque de la Martinique and intended for use at Saint-Pierre, dating from the early period of organized colonial banking on the island. Classified as Pick P.5A, this form represents a non-circulating banking instrument rather than a circulating banknote, designed for internal settlement, account debiting, and controlled monetary transfers within the colonial financial system. The Banque de la Martinique was established as part of France’s overseas banking framework, created to stabilize currency supply and facilitate commercial credit in the Caribbean colonies. ... Read more →

Martinique 1870 — Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Cheque Recovered After the 1902 Mount Pelée Eruption (Pick P.5A)

A Banque de la Martinique one franc cheque form, Pick P.5A, originally printed for use at Saint-Pierre during the late nineteenth century and later recovered from the ruins of the city following the catastrophic eruption of Mount Pelée on 8 May 1902. Although printed decades earlier as part of the bank’s standardized cheque issue, this surviving example was never negotiated as a financial instrument and instead entered history as a disaster-recovery relic, explicitly identified as such by contemporary handwritten annotations. The printed face follows the established Banque de la Martinique cheque format, bearing the heading “Chèque sur la Banque de la Martinique,” internal control marking “B.P.F. ... Read more →

Brazil ca. 1852–1870 — Imperial Treasury of Brazil 10 Mil Réis Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick A231x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Imperial Treasury of Brazil ten mil réis issue, produced during the active circulation period of the official banknote and intended to pass as legal tender in everyday commerce. Classified in standard references as Pick A231x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials, engraving methods, and paper consistent with mid-nineteenth-century Brazilian monetary circulation. Contemporary counterfeits occupy a distinct and historically important category within paper money studies. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1870 — El Banco Franco Platense 20 Pesos Dos Doblones Issued Note (Pick S173a)

This 20 Pesos note was issued by El Banco Franco Platense in Montevideo and dated 1 de Agosto de 1870. The denomination is expressed both as Veinte Pesos and Dos Doblones, reflecting contemporary dual-value terminology within Uruguay's evolving monetary structure during the late nineteenth century. The note was engraved and printed by the American Bank Note Company of New York, a major supplier of security printing to Latin American commercial banks during this period. ... Read more →