Collection PL

Italy 1871–1872 — Banca Italo-Germanica 250 Lire Specimen (Pick S976s)

An exceptional and academically important survival from the experimental phase of Italy’s early post-unification banking era, this 250 Lire specimen from the short-lived Banca Italo-Germanica, cataloged as Pick S976s, represents one of the rarest and most ambitious private note-issuing projects attempted in Rome during the 1870s. No issued examples of this type are known to exist, and all scholarship indicates that the bank’s banknote program collapsed before any notes entered circulation, leaving only a microscopic number of presentation pulls, proofs, or internal printer’s archive sheets. This PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated example is the sole graded specimen in the PMG census, making it both Top Pop and Only Pop. ... Read more →

Argentina 1871 — Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 10 Pesos Rosario Specimen No. 000001 (Pick Unlisted)

This specimen represents an archival control note of the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 10 Pesos issue prepared for the Rosario branch, dated Rosario, 10 de Noviembre de 1871, and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company in London. It was produced as part of the bank internal authorization and registration process for provincial issues and was never intended for circulation. The Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata, incorporated in London in 1862, operated as a British controlled private bank with branches in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Rosario, and Montevideo. ... Read more →

Italy 1871 — Standing Italia Vignette Die Proof (PS976)

Engraved vignette die proof of 'Standing Italia,' later integrated into the 250 Lire specimen of the Banca Italo-Germanica (1871–72, PS976). The allegory, modeled on classical prototypes, depicts Italia standing with shield and spear, emblematic of the country’s newly achieved unification and Rome’s designation as capital in 1871. Pulled directly from the master plate by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., this die proof captures the engraving in its purest state—sharp, uninked margins, and untouched by printing wear. ... Read more →

Italy 1871 — Germania with Shield and Spear, Vignette Die Proof (Used for 500 Lire, PS977)

This engraved vignette proof depicting 'Germania with Shield and Spear' was produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in London for the Banca Italo-Germanica during the early 1870s. The impression preserves the complete ornamental vignette prepared for the proposed 500 Lire banknote design, including the decorative frame and denomination tablet engraved for integration into the final banknote layout. ... Read more →

New Caledonia 1871 — French Treasury Second of Exchange for 2,000 Francs (Service des Colonies)

A colonial treasury bill of exchange issued in 1871 under the authority of the French public treasury for the colony of New Caledonia. This document represents the second of exchange (*seconde*), forming part of a standard multi-part financial instrument employed by the French administration to execute high-value intercontinental payments within the colonial fiscal system. The bill was drawn by the *Caissier Payeur central du Trésor public (Service des Colonies)* and made payable to order in New Caledonia for the sum of two thousand francs. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1871 — Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 10 Pesos Face Proof (Pick S239p)

This face proof represents the obverse-only proof state of the 10 Pesos issue prepared for the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata in 1871. It was pulled directly from the finished face plate during the engraving and plate-approval process, prior to the preparation of reverse plates, serial numbering, or the assembly of complete circulating banknotes. As such, it documents the earliest finalized stage of design approval rather than a variant of an issued note. ... Read more →