Collection PL

New Zealand 1907–1926 - Bank of New Zealand £20 Blue Serial-Prefix Audit Specimen (Pick S194s)

A unique high-denomination Bradbury Wilkinson audit-range specimen and the rarest surviving document from New Zealand’s private-banknote era, the £20 Blue (Pick S194s) represents the apex of BNZ’s color-coded denomination hierarchy. This specimen is not a generic zero-serial example: it carries dual live serials (No. 061001 and No. ... Read more →

Australia 1879–1903 - Federal Bank of Australia, Limited £1 Sydney Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

This specimen represents a one pound note prepared for the Federal Bank of Australia, Limited and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company in London during the bank’s short operational life between 1879 and 1903. The note carries the Sydney office imprint, identifying the colonial financial center where the issue was intended to circulate. It belongs to one of the most fragile and least documented chapters of Australia’s pre-Federation private banking era, when numerous colonial banks issued their own paper currency under uneven regulation and volatile economic conditions. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Specimen with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp AR Prefix (Pick Unlisted)

This AR-prefix specimen is a fully printed presentation example of the 50 zlotych banknote from Poland’s 1994 series, prepared by Thomas De La Rue for controlled institutional use. The note preserves the complete production design corresponding to the issued banknote and carries serial number AR0000000 together with the official signatures of the National Bank of Poland. A bold red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint spans the face of the note and is accompanied by two red oval NO VALUE stamps applied in the standard De La Rue format. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Specimen with Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' AR Prefix (Pick Unlisted)

This AR-prefix specimen is a fully printed 50 zlotych banknote from Poland’s 1994 series, permanently cancelled by a large perforated inscription reading “SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE” across the portrait of King Casimir III the Great. The perforation represents a terminal archival control form prepared by Thomas De La Rue and retained for internal documentation and security reference. The banknote preserves the complete production design corresponding to the issued currency, including serial number AR0000000 and the official signatures of the National Bank of Poland. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1916–1920 - Bank of New Zealand £5 Red-Rose (Orange Lineage) Specimen with Serial Number Prefix (Pick S227s)

The finest preserved £5 specimen of New Zealand’s wartime private-banknote era and the highest-graded example recorded for Pick S227s. Printed in London by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. during the 1916–1920 wartime production cycle, this specimen represents an internal audit and approval piece retained from a numbered print run rather than a zero-serial display copy. ... Read more →

Australia 1905–1910 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Specimen Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Proof specimen printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. between 1905 and 1910 for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED - one of Australia’s oldest and most respected private banks, founded in 1834. The CBC operated independently until its 1981 merger with the National Bank of Australasia, forming today’s NAB. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1905–1916 - Bank of New Zealand £1 Red Cancelled Specimen with Serial Number Prefix G000001–G100000 (Pick S212bs)

An archival £1 Red specimen from the Bank of New Zealand private-issue series, catalogued as Pick S212bs and drawn from the opening serial block G000001–G100000. This example was pulled directly from the working plates of Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, as an approval and control specimen for internal printer and bank-director reference during the closing phase of BNZ private note production. The presence of live production serial numbers with the letter prefix G clearly distinguishes this class from unnumbered file specimens. ... 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 →

United States 1914 – 50 Dollars Federal Reserve Note – Philadelphia District White | Mellon (Fr.1035)

The Series of 1914 was the inaugural issue of Federal Reserve Notes following the creation of the Federal Reserve System in December 1913. For the first time, the United States possessed a unified national currency directly issued through the newly organized regional Reserve Banks. The Philadelphia District, designated by the letter C and the numeral 3, served as one of the twelve original Reserve Bank branches, linking the new central banking structure to the industrial and commercial heart of the Mid-Atlantic region. ... Read more →

Italy 1869 - Credito Agricolo della Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna 30 Lire Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Specimen of the 30 Lire issue from the Credito Agricolo della Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company during the critical early phase of post-unification Italian financial restructuring. The denomination itself-30 Lire-is highly unconventional and appears directly tied to structured agricultural credit mechanisms rather than standard monetary circulation, reflecting targeted rural financing systems implemented in newly unified Italy. Credito Agricolo institutions operated as specialized credit channels designed to stabilize agricultural production and extend liquidity to rural sectors, where fragmented coinage systems and inconsistent monetary supply remained a persistent issue. ... Read more →

Australia 1963 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Specimen traveller’s cheque for £5 issued by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, Limited. Printed in blue and green with the same allegorical vignette of a child with fleece used across the series, embodying the themes of trust, productivity, and growth. The CBC of Sydney was a cornerstone of Australian finance, founded in 1834 and later merging into the National Australia Bank. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 2018 - Monetary Authority $1 Prefix D/6 (Pick Unlisted)

Issued one-dollar note from the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, dated 2018 and printed by Thomas De La Rue (TDLR). This early printing of the 2018 series originally appeared as an unlisted variety before it was catalogued under Pick 38 in later references. It carries serial number prefix D/6 and features the same design as subsequent printings - Queen Elizabeth II at right, reef fish vignette at lower left, and the national coat of arms at upper center. ... Read more →