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 →

New Zealand 1895–1915 — Bank of New Zealand 5 Pounds Orange Specimen (Pick S192s)

The high-denomination anchor of the Bank of New Zealand color series, this five pounds orange specimen (Pick S192s) represents one of the most structurally complex and production-informative notes of New Zealand’s private banking era. Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, London, it embodies the transition from richly ornamental Victorian engraving toward the more controlled and symmetrical Edwardian framework that followed. The composition preserves the defining elements of the earlier series—paired Māori figures within oval medallions at left, a lower maritime vignette reflecting colonial trade identity, and a dense guilloche lattice enclosing the denomination—while introducing a more disciplined spatial hierarchy across the central obligation panel. ... Read more →

Mauritius 1842 — Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled (Pick S122a)

A fully issued, hand-signed, and dated Mauritius Commercial Bank note — one of the earliest known examples of circulating paper money from the island. Dated 2 August 1842, this note bears manuscript signatures, serial numbers, and the characteristic oval CANCELLED stamps applied upon redemption. The engraving by Myers Frs. ... Read more →

Mauritius 1843 — Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Remainder (Pick S122r)

Unissued remainder from the earliest Mauritius Commercial Bank dual-currency series, printed by Myers Frs. & Co., London. This note represents the archival stock of the 1840s issue — printed but never signed or circulated. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1924–1925 — Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings Front Proof with SPECIMEN Perforation (Pick S231p1)

Front proof of the Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings (Pick S231p1), printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, for the post-war re-engraved issue dated 1924–25. Perforated SPECIMEN through the lower margin and certified by PMG as Choice Uncirculated 63 Top Pop, this example shows the completed obverse design prior to overprinting and serial application. The note features a finely engraved portrait of the Māori rangatira Tamati Waka Nene (1780–1871), leader of Ngāpuhi and an early ally of British settlement—one of the first indigenous statesmen ever depicted on a Commonwealth banknote. ... Read more →

United States 1929 Type 2 – 10 Dollars National Bank Note – The Warren National Bank of Peabody, Massachusetts Charter 616 (Fr. 1801-2)

The Warren National Bank of Peabody, Massachusetts, Charter 616, was organized on December 8 1864 as the successor to the pre-Civil-War Warren Bank of South Danvers. When the town was renamed Peabody in 1872, the bank adopted the new name as well. Its charter therefore spans the entire National Banking era—from Abraham Lincoln’s first bond-secured issues to the consolidation of the 1930s—representing seventy years of uninterrupted local service. ... Read more →

United States 1929 Type 1 - 10 Dollars National Bank Note - The First National Bank of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Charter 1 (Fr. 1801-1)

The First National Bank of Philadelphia holds Charter 1, the very first federal national bank charter issued under the National Banking Act of 1863. Granted on June 20, 1863, it became the prototype for a new system that tied local banknotes to United States bonds and standardized design, redemption, and supervision across the country. Charter 1 anchored Philadelphia finance from the Civil War through the Great Depression. ... Read more →

Italy 1869 — Credito Agricolo della Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna 30 Lire Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Specimen of the 30 Lire issue from the Credito Agricolo della Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company during the critical early phase of post-unification Italian financial restructuring. The denomination itself—30 Lire—is highly unconventional and appears directly tied to structured agricultural credit mechanisms rather than standard monetary circulation, reflecting targeted rural financing systems implemented in newly unified Italy. Credito Agricolo institutions operated as specialized credit channels designed to stabilize agricultural production and extend liquidity to rural sectors, where fragmented coinage systems and inconsistent monetary supply remained a persistent issue. ... Read more →

Italy 1871 — Germania with Shield and Spear Vignette Die Proof Used for 500 Lire (Pick 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 →

United States 1830s — Pennsylvania, Philadelphia — Penn Township Savings Institution 10 Cents Proof (Unlisted)

This engraved proof note was prepared for the Penn Township Savings Institution of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the early 1830s. Rather than serving as circulating currency, the document represents a fractional savings deposit certificate issued by one of the many mutual savings institutions that emerged in American cities during the early nineteenth century. The text of the instrument reveals its purpose: a depositor places ten cents with the institution, which promises repayment with interest at two percent per annum, or redemption on demand once the accumulated balance reaches five dollars in current bank notes. ... Read more →

United States 1929 Type 2 - 10 Dollars National Bank Note - The First National Bank of Easthampton, Massachusetts Charter 428 (Fr. 1801-2)

The First National Bank of Easthampton, Massachusetts, Charter 428, was organized on May 17, 1864, during the first wave of the National Banking era. Originally titled The First National Bank of East Hampton, it shortened its name to Easthampton in 1903 as the town itself adopted the single-word spelling. The institution served a growing industrial community along the Manhan River, best known for its textile and elastic mills financed by local manufacturer and bank founder Samuel Williston. ... Read more →

United States 1929 Type 1 - 10 Dollars National Bank Note - The Farmers National Bank of Sussex, New Jersey Charter 1221 (Fr. 1801-1)

The Farmers National Bank of Sussex, New Jersey, traces its charter to May 20 1865 when it opened in nearby Deckertown, a small agricultural hub in Sussex County. Chartered as number 1221, it succeeded the pre-existing Farmers Bank and quickly became the county’s central financial institution. The town adopted the name Sussex in 1903, prompting the bank’s title change the same year. ... Read more →