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Martinique 1870 Banque de la Martinique 1 franc unissued cheque, Saint-Pierre issue, unused condition

Martinique 1870 - Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Unissued Cheque (Pick P.5A)

An unissued cheque for one franc prepared for the Banque de la Martinique and intended for use at Saint-Pierre, dating from the early period of organized colonial banking on the island. Classified as Pick P.5A, this form represents a non-circulating banking instrument rather than a circulating banknote, designed for internal settlement, account debiting, and controlled monetary transfers within the colonial financial system. Read more →

MartiniqueUnissued Cheque18701 FrancUncirculated Unissued Cheque1 FrancBanque de la MartiniqueColonial Banking InstrumentFrench Colonial FinancePick P.5AColonial Banking HistoryFrench Overseas TerritoriesCaribbean Monetary History19th Century BankingDocumentary Financial InstrumentsSecurity Printing HistoryFrench Engraving TraditionMartinique1870Museum GradeR8 Extremely Rare
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Martinique 1870 Banque de la Martinique 1 franc cheque recovered from the ruins of Saint-Pierre after the 1902 Mount Pelée eruption, with contemporary handwritten provenance notes

Martinique 1870 - Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Cheque Recovered After the 1902 Mount Pelée Eruption (Pick P.5A)

This cheque therefore occupies a dual identity: it is both a nineteenth-century colonial banking instrument and a primary disaster relic from one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. Its significance lies not in monetary function but in documentary survival, direct event association, and contemporaneous human testimony preserved in ink. Within French colonial numismatics and disaster-related financial ephemera, this example stands as a museum-grade reference piece whose historical value is inseparable from its catastrophic provenance. Read more →

MartiniqueDisaster Recovery Cheque18701 FrancVery Fine Disaster Recovery Cheque1 FrancBanque de la MartiniqueMount Pelee EruptionSaint Pierre DestructionColonial Bank RuinsPick P.5AColonial Banking HistoryFrench Overseas TerritoriesCaribbean Monetary HistoryNineteenth Century BankingDisaster Recovered ArtifactDocumentary Financial InstrumentsSecurity Printing HistoryFrench Engraving TraditionMartinique18701902Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations
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Australia 1880–1910 Commercial Bank of Australia £100 specimen, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

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

A monumental survivor from Australia’s private banking era, this £100 specimen ranks among the most important colonial-era notes known. Printed circa 1880–1910 for the Commercial Bank of Australia Limited, it represents the uppermost denomination produced under the private-issue system that existed before the Commonwealth took full control of note issuance in 1910. No issued examples of this £100 are believed to have survived, making specimens the only remaining documentation of the type.

Colonial Specimen Colonial Banking History 19th Century Banking
Australia 1877 City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 specimen engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson, PMG 62 Uncirculated, unique surviving example

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

A unique surviving specimen of the £20 denomination issued by the City of Melbourne Bank Limited, representing one of the highest-value private banknotes produced in colonial Victoria. Printed from Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. master plates, this note belongs to the final generation of Australian private banknote engraving before national standardization and the destruction of nearly all high-denomination material.

Colonial Specimen Victoria Banking History Gold Rush Era Banking 19th Century Banking
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