Collection

Australia 1880–1910 — Commercial Bank of Australia £100 (Pick Unlisted, Specimen)

A monumental survivor from Australia’s private banking era, this £100 note ranks among the most important colonial-era specimens known. Printed circa 1880–1910 for the Commercial Bank of Australia Limited, it predates the 1910 Australian Notes Act that abolished private currency issuance. Engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. ... Read more →

Mexico 1884 – Fábrica de Tunal 1 Peso (Pick Unlisted, ABNC)

Context — Porfiriato industrial finance (1876–1911): In the 1880s, Mexico’s northern mining belt (Durango–Zacatecas–Coahuila) expanded under Porfirio Díaz’s pro-investment policies. Private companies routinely paid workers and contractors with bearer notes redeemable in silver on demand. These instruments sat between payroll scrip and banknotes: fully engraved, serialed, and legally payable al portador en moneda de plata, but issued by corporations rather than chartered banks. ... Read more →

Argentina 1876 — Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte (Specimen)

Specimen printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. for the Banco de San Juan during Argentina’s expansion of provincially chartered banks in the 1870s. The 1 Peso Fuerte design reflects the distinct artistic language of the early British engravers active in Latin America, with refined lathe-work borders and a central condor vignette symbolizing vigilance and freedom. ... Read more →

Argentina 1884 — El Banco del Chaco 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro (Serial 05056, Fragmented Example)

Partial issued note of El Banco del Chaco’s 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro, dated 1 Octubre 1884 and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, for the Villa Ocampo branch under the Ley de Bancos Garantidos provincial charter. The vignette centers on an allegory of Agriculture symbolizing prosperity and labor, flanked by a dog and bull for loyalty and strength—one of BWC’s finest small-format engravings for South America. Although the upper-right corner is missing, this early-serial piece (No. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1887 — Banco Nacional 20 Centésimos (Paisandú Branch Overprint, Serial J016899)

Provincial-branch variety of the 1887 Banco Nacional 20 Centésimos distinguished by its bold red PAISANDÚ overprint across the face. The mark identified notes handled through the Paisandú branch for regional clearing during the late 1880s. The base design—Waterlow & Sons engraving of Mercury and national arms with a dense green reverse—remains unchanged. ... Read more →