Collection PL

United States 1934 - New Jersey 10 Dollars County of Atlantic School Scrip Specimen (November 1 Issue)

This example is a true printer-issued specimen, identified by the serial number P0000 and the overprinted word SPECIMEN. It was not intended for circulation and was produced solely for approval, authorization, or archival reference during the establishment of the issue. Specimen material of this type was typically destroyed once authorization was complete, as it had no role in the operational funding process. Read more →

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

Engraving for this issue is attributable to Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and Edson, the predecessor firm to the American Bank Note Company. This attribution is supported by later archival material and aligns stylistically with mid-nineteenth-century American banknote engraving conventions. The face design employs classical allegorical figures and commercial imagery intended to project continuity, legitimacy, and economic order at a moment when the issuing institution itself was financially unstable. Read more →

Spain 1875 - Banco de España 50 Pesetas Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick 7x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Banco de España fifty pesetas issue of 1875, produced during the active circulation period of the official banknote and intended to pass as legal tender in everyday commerce. Classified in standard references as Pick 7x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials and printing methods consistent with nineteenth-century Spanish monetary circulation. Read more →

Spain 1876 - Banco de España 100 Pesetas Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick 11x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Banco de España one hundred pesetas issue of 1876, produced during the active circulation period of the official banknote and intended to pass as legal tender in everyday commerce. Classified in standard references as Pick 11x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials and printing methods consistent with late nineteenth-century Spanish monetary circulation. Read more →

South Africa 1828 - Cape of Good Hope Bank 5 Shillings Pre-Issue Sample (Pick S171p)

This 1828 five shillings pre-issue sample must therefore be regarded as a museum-grade monetary artifact rather than a conventional banknote. It documents the transition from state-administered colonial finance toward private banking, the absence of central banking authority in nineteenth-century South Africa, and the institutional processes through which early banks sought legitimacy, authorization, and public trust. As such, it stands as a primary historical document of South Africa’s pre-central-bank monetary system and the origins of private paper currency in the region. Read more →

South Africa 1861 - Montagu Bank 5 Pounds Remainder (Pick S231r)

The Montagu Bank was established in 1861 at a time when local banking was widely regarded as essential to trade and economic development within the Cape Colony. Contemporary accounts note that by the late nineteenth century more than thirty such local banks operated across the colony, each issuing its own paper currency. Montagu was among the smaller but more ambitious of these institutions, notable not only for issuing its own banknotes but for embedding itself physically and socially within the town’s commercial core. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Perforated Cancel, Series A–B (Pick 41as)

Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company of London, this perforated-cancel specimen documents one of the control mechanisms applied to Uruguay’s highest-denomination banknote during the late interwar period. It stands as material evidence of how the issuing bank and printer differentiated institutional reference material from circulating currency while maintaining full design fidelity and archival completeness. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie D, Specimen No. 23 (Pick 41cs)

The obverse is dominated by the full institutional title REPUBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUGUAY, placed above the monumental denomination MIL PESOS. To the right appears a finely engraved portrait of Jose Gervasio Artigas, shown in military dress with a strong frontal expression. Artigas serves here as more than a commemorative portrait. His presence places the authority of the banknote within Uruguay's national foundation, linking the monetary promise of the state with the country's principal independence figure. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie C, Specimen No. 2 (Pick 41bs)

Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited printed the note in London, as stated in the lower reverse margin. The work reflects the firm's ability to unite symbolic portraiture, narrative engraving, watermark security, ornamental geometry, and large-denomination typography within a single coherent banknote design. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, De La Rue Cancel Stamp, Serie A, Specimen No. 50 (Pick 41as)

Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company of London, this De La Rue-cancelled specimen documents one of the specific control mechanisms applied to Uruguay’s highest-denomination banknote during the late interwar period. It stands as material evidence of the administrative practices through which the issuing bank and printer differentiated institutional reference material from circulating currency while maintaining full design fidelity and archival completeness. Read more →

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

This note represents a proof of the one hundred dollars denomination prepared for the Empire City Bank of New York during the final year of the institution’s operation. It was produced as part of the internal design approval and engraving review process and was never intended for public circulation. As such, it belongs to the documentary layer of American private banknote production rather than to issued or remainder currency. Read more →

United States 1838 - Olney, Alabama 25 Cents, 50 Cents, 1 Dollar Uncut Sheet Remainder

Only two sheets of this exact three denomination configuration are currently known, underscoring the extreme scarcity of intact production material from this enigmatic issue. The absence of confirmed issued examples and the survival of only remainder sheets suggest that the notes were either never officially released or were abandoned before circulation could occur. Read more →