Collection PL

Paraguay 1907 — 100 Pesos with 1912 State Overprint (Pick 134, Base Pick 159)

Exceptional 1907 Banco de la República 100 Pesos, printed by Waterlow & Sons, London, and later revalidated by the Paraguayan state through the bold oval overprint “Emisión del Estado – Ley de 11 de Enero de 1912.” This is the recognized catalogued 1912 state-overprint issue, Pick 134, created on the original 1907 Banco de la República 100 Pesos base type, Pick 159. Unlike the rarer dual-side treasury revalidation variety, this example carries the official state emission overprint on the face only, making it the standard and historically definitive form of the 1912 emergency reissue. The 1912 overprint was not a decorative or routine bank marking. ... Read more →

Barbados 1943 — Government of Barbados 100 Dollars, Front and Back Archival Photograph

This item consists of a matched pair of archival photographic prints documenting the front and back designs of an unissued 100 Dollars banknote for Barbados, dated 1943 and produced under British colonial administration. The photographs record a complete banknote design that did not proceed to production or circulation and survive as internal visual documentation rather than monetary instruments. The front design carries the formal issuer heading Government of Barbados and presents a complete engraved layout including denomination panels, ornamental framing, and portraiture of King George the Sixth. ... Read more →

Ireland 1920 — Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound Proof (Pick 388p / UB39)

This 1920 Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound proof is a completed proof-stage example of one of the most visually distinctive private-bank issues from Ireland before partition. Dated Belfast, 1st June 1920, and bearing serial number A 00,005, the note belongs to the Ireland category rather than the later Northern Ireland issue structure. Its PMG classification as Proof, together with the Pick 388p and UB39 references, places it among the specialized archival forms of Ulster Bank Limited's early twentieth-century note production. ... Read more →

Great Britain c.1806–1812 — Derby Bank £5 Proof (Pick Unlisted)

A printer’s proof of a £5 note prepared for the Derby Bank during the formative years of British provincial banking, dating to circa 1806–1812. This piece belongs to the critical transitional period between eighteenth-century handwritten credit instruments and the fully industrialized, security-driven banknote production that would dominate the nineteenth century. At the time this proof was produced, Britain’s monetary system was still decentralized. ... Read more →

Great Britain 1904 — Thomas Cook & Son $50 Circular Note Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

A photographic proof of the 50 Dollars Circular Note produced for Thomas Cook and Son circa 1904, representing a pre-issue production artifact created during the final design and approval phase of one of the earliest globally recognized private payment instruments. This proof predates finished circulation notes and preserves the engraved face as prepared for reproduction rather than for direct financial use. These instruments are directly related to what later became known as Travellers Cheque and Travelers Check systems and are often collected within the same category of early international payment instruments. ... 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 1871 — Standing Italia Vignette Die Proof (PS976)

Engraved vignette die proof of 'Standing Italia,' later integrated into the 250 Lire specimen of the Banca Italo-Germanica (1871–72, PS976). The allegory, modeled on classical prototypes, depicts Italia standing with shield and spear, emblematic of the country’s newly achieved unification and Rome’s designation as capital in 1871. Pulled directly from the master plate by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., this die proof captures the engraving in its purest state—sharp, uninked margins, and untouched by printing wear. ... Read more →

Paraguay 1907 — Banco de la República 100 Pesos Issued Note (Pick 159)

Issued 1907 Banco de la República 100 Pesos note, cataloged as Pick 159 and printed by Waterlow & Sons, London. This is the original, non-overprinted base type from which the later 1912 emergency state issues were created. In its pure issued form, without the later “Emisión del Estado” overprint or the additional Treasury fiscal validation seen on rarer revalidated examples, the note preserves the full Waterlow design as it was intended before Paraguay’s monetary emergency transformed surviving stocks into provisional state currency. ... Read more →

Italy 1868 — Banco di Napoli Fede di Credito 50–200 Lire Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Specimen Fede di Credito from the Banco di Napoli, engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. during the early years of the unified Kingdom of Italy. The Banco di Napoli traced its roots back to charitable institutions founded in 1539, making it one of Europe’s oldest surviving banks. ... Read more →

Australia 1963 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Photographic proof of a £5 Travellers Cheque for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED, mounted on cardstock and dated '9/3/63' in pencil at the lower margin. Produced circa 1963 as part of the bank’s internal approval and recordkeeping process for its international traveller’s cheque program. In the mid-20th century, before widespread credit card adoption, traveller’s cheques were the safest form of portable currency for customers abroad. ... Read more →

East Caribbean States 2019 — Central Bank 10 Dollars (Pick 56a)

Issued polymer 10 Dollars from the East Caribbean Central Bank, dated 2019 and catalogued as Pick 56a. This note belongs to the first vertical polymer series introduced by the ECCB as part of its modernization program across the currency union. Printed by De La Rue, it retains Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait on the obverse with the ECCB emblem and enhanced optical features including a see-through window and raised print for the visually impaired. ... Read more →

East Caribbean States 2019 — Central Bank 20 Dollars (Pick 57)

Issued polymer 20 Dollars from the East Caribbean Central Bank, dated 2019 and catalogued as Pick 57. This denomination forms part of the ECCB’s new polymer banknote family introduced in 2019 to replace paper issues across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. The front carries Queen Elizabeth II’s effigy, the ECCB headquarters, and advanced polymer security windows integrated vertically within the design. ... Read more →