Search Results for "british empire" - Collection

Australia 1880–1910 Commercial Bank of Australia £100 specimen, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

Australia 1880–1910 - Commercial Bank of Australia £100 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Very few banknotes from anywhere in the British Empire incorporated bilingual Chinese text in this way, making the type a highly significant survivor in both Australian and global numismatics. The note documents not only colonial banking and printing practice, but also the commercial integration of Chinese Australians into the economic life of 19th-century Victoria and one of the earliest documented examples of deliberate market localization expressed directly through a banknote. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen1880100 PoundsPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated Specimen100 PoundsHigh DenominationCommercial Bank of AustraliaBradbury WilkinsonBWCSands & McDougallColonial SpecimenBilingualChinese-EnglishPick UnlistedColonial Banking HistoryAustralian Private BanknotesPre-Notes Act Era19th Century BankingMulticultural Trade NetworksSecurity Printing HistoryBritish Engraving InfluenceAustralian Monetary HistoryAustralia188019101880–1910PMG 64Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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New Zealand 1870–1890 Bank of New Zealand 1 Pound Green Specimen Pick S191s, dual serial numbers A197001 and B047000, perforated CANCELLED, Bradbury Wilkinson printing, PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated

New Zealand 1870–1890 - Bank of New Zealand £1 Green Specimen (Pick S191s)

The visual composition reflects both identity and function. The paired Māori figures at left represent one of the earliest sustained uses of indigenous portraiture on British Empire currency, while the coastal vignette beneath-depicting maritime activity-anchors the note within New Zealand’s trade-dependent economy. Dense guilloche work, layered engraving, and ornamental borders provided both aesthetic complexity and anti-counterfeiting security. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen18701 PoundPMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated Specimen1 PoundBank of New ZealandBradbury WilkinsonBWCDual Serial NumbersA197001B047000Perforated CANCELLEDAudit MarginPrinter Control SystemColonial IssueVictorian DesignMāori Portrait SeriesEngraved Security PrintingNew Zealand Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankBNZ Color LineageColor Lineage Origin19th Century OceaniaMaritime Economy NotesEarly Indigenous ImageryBritish Colonial FinanceHistoryNew Zealand187018901870–1890Pick S191sPMG 58Choice About UncirculatedMuseum GradeR7 Extremely Rare

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Mauritius 1843 Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Remainder, PMG 50 NET

Mauritius 1843 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Remainder (Pick S122r)

Graded PMG 50 NET About Uncirculated for ink burn alone - rather than circulation wear - the note retains exceptional embossing, paper strength, and plate clarity. As a high-denomination Ten Dollar / Two Pounds Sterling remainder from the earliest functional period of Mauritian banking under British administration, it stands as a museum-grade artifact documenting the origins of the island’s formal monetary structure, its dependence on sterling, and the technical evolution of one of the British Empire’s rarest early colonial paper-money systems. Read more →

MauritiusRemainder184310 Dollars / 2 Pounds SterlingPMG 50 NET (Ink Burn) Remainder10 Dollars2 PoundsDual-CurrencyColonial CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingInk BurnMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance1840s Currency Reform19th Century BanknotesMauritiusPort Louis1843PMG 50Museum GradeR6 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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New Zealand 1924–1925 Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings Front Proof Pick S231p1 with SPECIMEN perforation, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.

New Zealand 1924-1925 - Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings with SPECIMEN Perforation Front Proof (Pick S231p1)

Beyond its technical and artistic importance, the 1924–25 10 Shillings proof captures a pivotal shift in New Zealand’s visual and monetary identity. The decision to place Tamati Waka Nene on the obverse marked a rare and forward-looking acknowledgment of Māori leadership at a time when indigenous representation on currency across the British Empire was almost nonexistent. His role as a stabilizing force during the early colonial period mirrored the note’s function: a unit of everyday exchange meant to circulate broadly among both Māori and Pākehā communities. Read more →

New ZealandFront Proof192410 ShillingsPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Top Pop, Front Proof with SPECIMEN Perforation) Front Proof10 ShillingsSpecimen PerforationIntaglioBradbury WilkinsonBWCTamati Waka NeneBank of New ZealandNew Zealand Banking HistoryPre-Reserve BankPrivate Banknote EraInterwar Currency DesignEngraved Security PrintingLate Edwardian PlateworkTint-Stone UnderprintMāori Portrait SeriesNew Zealand192419251924–1925PMG 63Top PopMuseum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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Australia ca.1939 Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque photographic proof, PCGS 63

Australia 1939 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Produced during the late interwar period when secure portable payment instruments were vital for travel within the British Empire, this proof reflects the evolution of Australian financial printing in collaboration with Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London. The fine typographic composition, deep guilloche background, and continuous ‘BRADBURY WILKINSON AND COMPANY LIMITED’ underprint confirm its master plate origin. Read more →

AustraliaPhotographic Proof19395 PoundsPCGS 63 Choice New (Mounted on Cardstock) Pick UnlistedPhotographic Proof5 PoundsTravellers ChequeTravelers CheckCommercial Bank of SydneySydneyCommercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITEDCommercial Bank of SydneyBradbury WilkinsonBWCPre-War1939Australia

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Canada 1896 Bank of Nova Scotia 20 Dollars front and back proof pair engraved by the American Bank Note Company

Canada 1896 - Bank of Nova Scotia 20 Dollars Front and Back Proofs (Pick Unlisted)

The front proof is printed in black and white, the standard format used for die and plate approval. The central vignette depicts the seated allegorical figure of Commerce holding a trident, symbolizing maritime trade and the Atlantic economy that defined Nova Scotia’s commercial identity. The figure is accompanied by a cherub and nautical references that reinforce Halifax’s status as one of the principal shipping ports of the British Empire in North America. The surrounding design incorporates the dense lathework borders and denomination cartouches characteristic of American Bank Note Company engraving. Read more →

CanadaProof Pair (Front & Back)189620 DollarsPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Front and Back Proof Pair) Proof PairPick UnlistedFront ProofBack ProofEngraved ProofIntaglio EngravingABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyABNCo Security PrintingLathework GuillocheSteel Banknote EngravingThe Bank of Nova ScotiaHalifaxNova ScotiaCanadian Chartered BanknotesVictorian Era BankingCanada189620 DollarsPMG 63Choice UncirculatedMuseum Grade

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1875 British Consulate Alexandria document with tied 5 Shillings Victoria Consular Service revenue stamp

1875 - 5 Shillings Victoria Consular Revenue Tied Diplomatic Document (British Consulate, Alexandria)

High-value British consular certificate issued at Her Britannic Majesty’s Consulate in Alexandria on 9 September 1875, bearing the scarce 5 Shillings Queen Victoria Consular Service revenue stamp. The document certifies a civil status event and is fully executed with period manuscript, the embossed consular arms, and the oval BRITISH CONSULATE ALEXANDRIA datestamp tying the fiscal adhesive to the sheet. Read more →

EgyptGovernment Document18755 Shillings Consular ServiceUncertified (Fine–VF, Complete Document) Legal DocumentGovernment DocumentConsular DocumentConsular Revenue5 ShillingsHigh-Value RevenueVictorian FiscalFiscal HistoryExtraterritorial JurisdictionCapitulations SystemBritish EmpireBritish ConsulateConsular CourtDiplomaticColonial Legal HistoryCross-Border AdministrationEgyptAlexandriaOttoman EgyptKhedivial Egypt1875Queen VictoriaMuseum GradeR6 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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