Collection PL

Uruguay 1867 - Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Dual Handwritten Signatures at Left and Right Serial 23286 Issued Note (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. Although produced from the same engraved plates as the standard single-signature issue, this example documents a brief and highly unusual authorization phase in which two handwritten circulation signatures were applied to a single note. Read more →

Uruguay 1867 - Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Centered Handwritten Signature Serial 35345 Issued Note (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. Produced from the same engraved plates as the standard single-signature issue, this example documents a transitional authorization state following the brief dual-signature requirement implemented during the initial circulation period. Read more →

Uruguay 1867 - Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Facsimile Signature at Right Serial 74487 Issued Note (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. This example represents the final standardized production state of the Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado issue, marking the full transition from manual authorization to mechanically reproduced signatures. Read more →

Uruguay 1862 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 100 Pesos Specimen (Pick S245s)

Engraved and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in London, the note reflects the firm’s first major commission for the Rio de la Plata area. The allegorical vignettes-Mercury representing trade and Agriculture symbolizing prosperity-conveyed both British confidence and local ambition. Dense guilloché fields, lathe-turned borders, and watermarked paper illustrate BWC’s early transition from hand-engraved dies to mechanical precision engraving, a security standard that shaped modern banknote production. Read more →

Bolivia 1904 - Banco Nacional 5 Bolivianos Specimen (Pick S2143s)

Graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated and standing at the top of the population report, this example ranks as the finest known for the type. Beyond rarity, it illustrates both the artistry of BWC’s export engravings and the transitional stage of Bolivia’s financial system in the early 1900s-when private banks carried national currency responsibility. As such, it is a cornerstone type for collectors of Bolivian paper money and a reference piece for the study of South American banknote history. Read more →

Bolivia 1903 - Banco Agricola 5 Bolivianos Front Progressive Proof and Back Proof Pair (Pick S102pp1, S102p2)

As a matched proof pair, the set documents both the artistic and technical stages behind the planned issue. The front progressive proof records the developing face design and its printer-applied control markings, while the back proof preserves the reverse in completed engraved form. Together they form a direct production record of the Banco Agricola 5 Bolivianos design and of ABNC's role in Bolivian banknote production at the beginning of the twentieth century. Read more →

Argentina 1866 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 1 Real Rosario Type A with Printed Signature Issued Note (PS1731, Bauman SFE 70)

Unlike later engraved security issues produced by specialized banknote printers, the 1866 emission belongs to the earlier typographic tradition of bank vales. The design relies on ornamental typographic borders repeating the word "REAL" around the frame, with the denomination centered within a circular medallion. A large manuscript text panel carries the payment promise and place of issue, emphasizing clarity and immediate recognition in active commercial environments. Read more →

Argentina 1866 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 1 Real Rosario Type B with Hand Signature Issued Note (PS1731, Bauman SFE 70)

The note belongs to the typographic bank vale tradition that preceded the engraved security banknotes produced by specialized printing houses later in the century. The frame uses ornamental typographic borders repeating the word "REAL," with the denomination centered in a circular medallion. The manuscript payment text and place of issue emphasize functional clarity over decorative imagery. Read more →

Poland 1936 - 50 Zlotych Reverse Progressive Proof (Pick 78pp2)

Progressive proofs are seldom encountered outside official archives. They were never intended for collectors, and their survival provides a rare, forensic view of how the Bank Polski and PWPW approached design refinement during Poland’s 1930s modernization campaign. Together with the finished Dąbrowski note, this proof completes the narrative - from concept to currency, from artistic ideal to national symbol. It stands today as a pristine artifact of Poland’s pre-war technical ingenuity and aesthetic ambition. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Color Trial Specimen (Omar al-Mukhtar Portrait, Pick 37cts)

Color trial specimens occupy a critical position within the banknote production sequence. They are not presentation pieces and not substitutes for issued notes, but technical print evaluations pulled during the final calibration of the intaglio face plate and associated tint stones. Their purpose was to test color harmony, ink density, and registration behavior under production conditions before full authorization of the circulating issue. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya Omar al-Mukhtar Intaglio Vignette Proof (Portrait Master for 10 Dinars Issue)

This intaglio vignette proof represents the master engraved portrait of Omar al-Mukhtar prepared for the Central Bank of Libya’s post-monarchy currency redesign introduced in 1971. The vignette constitutes a standalone production artifact, engraved independently of any completed banknote and intended for transfer into the face plate of the new 10 Dinars issue following final approval. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Specimen (Omar al-Mukhtar Portrait, Pick 37s)

Specimen banknotes occupy a distinct position within the currency production and distribution process. They were not proofs and not intended for public circulation, but were produced after final plate approval to serve administrative and operational purposes. Copies were distributed to central bank departments, government ministries, regional bank branches, and international correspondents to standardize cash handling, verify security features, and familiarize staff with the new design prior to release. Read more →