Collection

Uruguay 1896 — Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 100 Pesos Black Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 63 Choice New)

The 100 Pesos issue authorized under the Ley de 18 de Agosto 1896 stands as the high point of Uruguay’s late-nineteenth-century engraving work at the American Bank Note Company in New York. Conceived during a period of rapid economic modernization and heavy foreign capital inflow, this design represented the Republic’s ambition to present its currency on equal footing with the great financial institutions of Europe and the Americas. These black-and-white photographic proofs are not paper trials but original engraver’s approval prints, made directly from the master dies before any steel plates were hardened for production. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1896 — Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 10 Pesos Black Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 64 Face, 63 Back)

The 10 Pesos proof pair from Uruguay’s 1896 series embodies the American Bank Note Company’s mastery of classical engraving blended with local iconography. Produced in New York during a period of monetary consolidation under the Ley de 18 de Agosto 1896, these photographic proofs were printed from the master engravings before plate hardening. Their survival offers an unfiltered look at the artistry behind Uruguay’s first truly modern bank-note design. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1896 — Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 5 Pesos Black Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 63 Choice New)

The 5 Pesos denomination from the 1896 ABNC series illustrates how Uruguay’s central bank adopted industrial modernity as a theme for national confidence. These photographic proofs—engraver’s approval prints mounted on thin card—were created directly from the steel dies before production. They preserve the visual language of economic optimism that defined the post-Civil War generation. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1896 — Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 1 Peso Black Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 62 New Face, PCGS 63 Choice New Back)

The 1 Peso photo-proof pair from the 1896 American Bank Note Company series captures the democratic face of Uruguay’s new monetary system. While higher denominations projected international prestige, the single-peso note was designed to circulate widely and embody trust among ordinary citizens—a key goal following decades of financial upheaval. These engraver’s photographic proofs, printed on sensitized paper and mounted to card, were produced in New York as pre-production approvals. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1896 — Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 10 Pesos Sepia Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 63 Choice New)

This rare sepia-tone photo-proof pair of the 10 Pesos denomination represents the presentation-stage variant of Uruguay’s 1896 American Bank Note Company series. Produced shortly after the black-and-white engraver’s approval proofs, these warm brown photographs were intended for final client review and executive reference, retaining the same composition but rendered with the tonal depth and paper texture of finished currency. The face bears the refined portrait of José Gervasio Artigas surrounded by an intricate network of guilloches and floral motifs, while the reverse captures a luminous Montevideo harbor vignette that symbolized Uruguay’s role as the Atlantic gateway of the Southern Cone. ... Read more →

Uruguay ca. 1920 — Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. Artigas Portrait Die Proof “Cancelled” (Ref 192A)

An engraved master-die portrait of José Gervasio Artigas produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, this proof is a cornerstone document of early-twentieth-century Uruguayan currency engraving. Struck in black on thin India paper and mounted to card, it bears the printed legend “URUGUAY — Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. Ld. ... Read more →

Uruguay ca. 1900–1915 — Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 100 Pesos Transitional Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 62 New)

A large-format transitional photographic proof pair by the American Bank Note Company, representing a mid-generation redesign between the engraved 1896 series and the simplified inter-war issues of the 1930s. Printed in a rich brown-olive tone on card-mounted photographic paper, this undated 100 Pesos pair bridges stylistic eras in Uruguayan currency design. The face features José Gervasio Artigas in profile surrounded by dense guilloche and laurel ornamentation, with the denomination framed in deep filigree corners. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1935 — Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 1 Peso Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 64 Very Choice New)

A complete photographic proof pair for the 1935 1 Peso issue produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay. This series marked Uruguay’s transition from the private-bank era to a unified national currency design following the monetary reorganization of 1933–1934. The obverse presents José Gervasio Artigas at lower left within a crisply geometric intaglio frame, accompanied above by an allegorical female figure representing the Republic—an inter-war reinterpretation of classical liberty iconography. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 50 Pesos Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 63 Choice New)

A complete photographic proof pair for the 1939 50 Pesos issue produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay. This series marked Uruguay’s first fully standardized pre-war currency design following the centralization of note issue in the mid-1930s. The obverse presents a helmeted allegorical female figure symbolizing the Republic, engraved in ABNC’s classical yet modernized style with crisp guilloche borders and the national arms below. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1935 — Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 100 Pesos Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 63 Face, PCGS 62 Back)

The 1935 100 Pesos proofs mark the modernization of Uruguay’s currency design as the nation entered the inter-war decade of industrialization. Printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York, these black-and-white photographic proofs precede the engraved master plates for the law of 8 August 1935, documenting a visual language that combined monumentality with art-deco restraint. The face portrays José Gervasio Artigas alongside a seated allegorical female figure of Justice, signifying the moral foundation of the Republic, while the reverse introduces an expansive civic panorama—interpreted as Montevideo’s port ceremonial ground—executed in ABNC’s mature steel-engraving style. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 100 Pesos Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 63 Choice New)

A photographic proof pair for the 1939 100 Pesos issue produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay. This was the highest denomination of the unified 1939 national series, following the 1935 monetary reform that centralized note issue under a single authority. The obverse features an allegorical female figure representing the Republic, framed by classical columns and radiant engraving with the national arms below. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay 500 Pesos Photo Proof Pair (PCGS 63 Choice New)

A complete photographic proof pair for the 1939 500 Pesos issue produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la República Oriental del Uruguay. The second-highest denomination of Uruguay’s unified 1939 series, positioned just below the monumental 1,000 Pesos issue, this note was designed to represent the strength and solvency of the Republic. The obverse features a powerful allegorical head of Liberty crowned with laurel and framed by classical architecture and the national arms, engraved with exceptional tonal depth. ... Read more →