Collection PL

Argentina 1876 - Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte Condor Vignette (Bradbury Wilkinson and Company)

Together, the vignette die proof and the completed specimen document two distinct stages in the production of the same Banco de San Juan issue: the separately prepared pictorial engraving and its subsequent incorporation into the finished security-printed instrument. Read more →

Argentina 1876 - Banco de San Juan 5 Pesos Fuertes Central Portrait Vignette (Bradbury Wilkinson and Company)

Together, the die proof and the completed specimen document two stages in the production of the same Banco de San Juan issue: the separately engraved portrait and its later incorporation into the finished security-printed design. Read more →

Macau 1937 - Foo Hang Bank 10 Patacas Archival Printer Proof Compound Sheet (Pick S105)

Foo Hang Bank operated in Macau during a period when the territory functioned as a distinct monetary and commercial enclave within southern China. As a Portuguese-administered port with deep ties to regional trade networks, Macau maintained a semi-autonomous banking environment in which local institutions issued currency tailored to cross-border commerce, silver settlement, and regional circulation needs. Banknotes produced for Macau in the interwar period reflect this hybrid monetary reality, combining Chinese commercial practice with colonial administrative oversight. Read more →

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

As a surviving unissued example, this cheque serves as a documentary artifact of colonial banking mechanics rather than a monetary substitute. Pick P.5A is infrequently encountered, and examples in fully unused condition are especially scarce. The piece occupies a specialized niche within French colonial numismatics, valued for its institutional context, documentary clarity, and direct association with Martinique’s pre-1902 financial history. Read more →

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

This cheque therefore occupies a dual identity: it is both a nineteenth-century colonial banking instrument and a primary disaster relic from one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. Its significance lies not in monetary function but in documentary survival, direct event association, and contemporaneous human testimony preserved in ink. Within French colonial numismatics and disaster-related financial ephemera, this example stands as a museum-grade reference piece whose historical value is inseparable from its catastrophic provenance. Read more →

United States 1844 - Bank of Florida - Tallahassee 4 Dollars, State Bank Note, Final Revival Issue, FL-65-G26

This four dollar state bank note was issued by the Bank of Florida in Tallahassee on February 1, 1844, during the institution’s second and final operational phase. This emission belongs exclusively to the bank’s failed revival following its earlier suspension after the Panic of 1837 and must be distinguished from notes of its original operating period. The revived charter represented a last attempt to restore banking activity in Florida Territory under severely constrained financial conditions, including weak capitalization, limited specie reserves, and diminished public confidence. Read more →

United States 1854 - Empire City Bank 100 Dollars Proof (Pick NY1585G16P)

The Empire City Bank was organized in 1851 and operated during a highly unstable phase of New York banking history, characterized by aggressive credit expansion and the absence of a central banking authority. In early December 1854 the bank failed to meet its Clearing House obligations and was suspended, with formal receivership following in February 1855. Proof material associated with the bank must therefore predate its suspension, firmly placing this note within the closing chapter of the bank’s active life. Read more →

Ireland - Northern 1929 - Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound Uncut Sheet of 3 Proofs with Specimen Perforation (Pick Unlisted)

Ulster Bank Limited belonged to the private banknote tradition of Ireland and Northern Ireland, where commercial banks continued to issue their own notes under regulated authority. As an uncut sheet of 3 proofs on Ulster Bank Limited watermarked security paper, this object stands as a rare and unusually complete survivor of the Pick 306p design family and supports its classification as an R9 Extremely Rare proof artifact. Read more →

Ireland - Northern 1929 - Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound Proof with Specimen Perforation (Pick 306p)

The proof is printed on Ulster Bank Limited watermarked security paper, visible through the reverse under light. The watermark ties the paper itself to the issuing bank, adding a second layer of institutional identity beneath the engraved face. Together, the bank-name watermark, Belfast issue language, specimen perforation, and selvage show how private-bank paper money was physically constructed, controlled, and prepared for issue in the Northern Ireland banking system. Read more →

Ireland - Northern 1929 - Ulster Bank Limited Large-Format Watermarked Security Paper

The large format is important. The piece is substantially larger than a single note and appears comparable to multiple oversized banknote panels in scale. This gives the watermark greater documentary presence, because the bank-name pattern can be seen across a wider sheet area rather than through a small cut fragment. The paper surface appears fresh and clean, with strong watermark visibility and preserved uncirculated quality. Read more →

Ireland - Northern 1940 - Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound Issued Note (Pick 306)

The reverse presents an architectural vignette framed by dense wavy-line security engraving and ornamental scrollwork. The contrast between the formal building scene on the back and the maritime-industrial vignette on the face gives the note both institutional weight and regional character. The security paper carries an Ulster Bank Limited watermark, visible when backlit, adding a second layer of bank identity beneath the printed design. Read more →

Scotland 1966 - National Commercial Bank of Scotland Limited 5 Pounds Issued Note (Pick 272a)

This 1966 National Commercial Bank of Scotland Limited 5 Pounds issued note represents the completed circulation form of the bank's mid-twentieth-century sterling design, cataloged as Pick 272a. Dated Edinburgh, 4th January 1966, and bearing serial number L247675, the note belongs to the 1963-1966 issue period and was printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company. PMG grades the note 58 Choice About Uncirculated, preserving the design at a high level for a denomination that functioned as practical banking currency rather than as presentation material. Read more →