Collection

Australia 1877 — City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 (Specimen, Pick Unlisted)

A rare high-denomination survivor from Victoria’s private banking era, this £20 specimen represents the City of Melbourne Bank Limited at its late-19th-century zenith. Produced from Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. master plates, the note captures the visual language of confidence adopted by colonial issuers during Melbourne’s boom decades. ... Read more →

Bradbury Wilkinson — Portrait of Woman, Intaglio Vignette (as used on City of Melbourne Bank £20)

Original Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. portrait vignette, pulled as an intaglio proof from the firm’s London steel plate to demonstrate the finished facial study later integrated into Australian private-issue layouts, notably the City of Melbourne Bank £20. Such stand-alone vignettes were the building blocks of Victorian banknote design: engraved once to perfection, then reused, resized, or re-tinted across denominations and clients. ... Read more →