Collection PL

Luxembourg 1966 - 20 Francs Color Trial Specimen (Pick 54cts)

Color trial specimen of the twenty francs note of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg dated 1966, produced during the advanced evaluation phase of the Grand Duke Jean series within the Belgian Luxembourg Economic Union framework. Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company, London, this example represents a controlled press-stage trial where final color relationships, engraving visibility, and overall tonal balance were assessed prior to full production approval. The obverse displays Grand Duke Jean in formal military attire, rendered in finely controlled intaglio and surrounded by complex multicolor guilloche structures. ... Read more →

Australia 1929 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited - Circular Letter of Credit Photographic Proof (Mounted on Cardstock, PCGS 64 Very Choice New)

This photographic proof represents a Circular Letter of Credit issued by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited during the late interwar period, forming part of an international financial system that enabled secure cross-border access to funds. Unlike Letters of Introduction, which served primarily as identity credentials, the Letter of Credit functioned as a direct monetary instrument, allowing the holder to withdraw funds abroad through a structured and verifiable process. It stands as a precursor to modern traveler’s checks and early credit-based financial systems. ... Read more →

Italy 1869 - Credito Agricolo della Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna 30 Lire Portrait Vignette (Bradbury Wilkinson and Company)

This engraved portrait vignette was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company as a direct design component for the 1869 Credito Agricolo della Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna 30 Lire issue. It is not a generic engraving but the exact portrait element incorporated into the final banknote, forming part of the original production chain of the note itself. Vignettes of this type were engraved separately within the security printing workflow, allowing master engravers to refine portrait structure, shading, and line depth before integration into the full note layout. ... Read more →

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

This engraved central portrait vignette was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company in London as the primary design element for the 1876 Banco de San Juan 5 Pesos Fuertes issue. It is not an unrelated or stock engraving, but the exact central allegorical figure integrated into the final banknote design, forming a direct and inseparable component of the note’s visual and symbolic structure. The vignette depicts a classical female allegory rendered in high-precision intaglio, embodying republican ideals, stability, and institutional authority. ... Read more →

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

This engraved condor vignette was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company in London as a primary design element for the 1876 Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte issue. It is not an isolated or stock engraving, but the exact vignette integrated into the issued design framework of the note, forming a direct and traceable component of the final composition. The vignette depicts an Andean condor standing in a mountainous landscape, engraved with layered intaglio linework and controlled tonal depth. ... Read more →

Poland 1937 - Free City of Gdańsk Bank of Danzig 20 Gulden Architectural Vignette Bradbury Wilkinson and Company

This engraved architectural vignette was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company in New Malden, Surrey, as a direct design component for the 1937 Bank of Danzig 20 Gulden issue (Pick 63), issued under the authority of the Free City of Gdańsk. It is not a generic or stock engraving, but the exact central vignette incorporated into the final banknote design. The engraving depicts a monumental civic structure rendered with precise architectural detail and controlled perspective. ... Read more →

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

This Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound uncut sheet of 3 proofs belongs to the Northern Ireland Issue design group of 1929-1934 and survives in a format not represented by the standard single-note Pick listing. It is cataloged here as Pick Unlisted, while the individual proof design is associated with Pick 306p. The sheet preserves three proof impressions before separation, making it a broad production artifact rather than a single cut proof. ... Read more →

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

This 1929 Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound proof belongs to the Northern Ireland Issue period, when commercial banks in Northern Ireland continued the older Irish and British private-bank note tradition under a sterling monetary system. The note is cataloged as Pick 306p and represents proof-stage material for an Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound design prepared after partition, when Belfast had become the central geographic identity for the bank’s Northern Ireland note issue. Unlike a state treasury or central-bank note, this design presents the obligation of a commercial bank. ... Read more →

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

This large-format Ulster Bank Limited watermarked security paper preserves the bank-name watermark used for private banknote production in the Northern Ireland issue period. The sheet belongs to the broader Ulster Bank Limited security-paper and proof-production environment associated with the 1929-1934 issue group, while its identity is defined by the watermark itself: Ulster Bank Limited. The paper is a production artifact in its own right. ... Read more →

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

This 1940 Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound issued note is part of the Northern Ireland Issue tradition of commercial-bank sterling notes. Dated Belfast, 1st January 1940, and bearing serial number A152102, the note represents the fully issued form of the Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound design, with completed date, serial numbering, officer signatures, and payable promise text. The face design carries the strong private-bank identity of Ulster Bank Limited. ... Read more →