Collection

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

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 →

Australia ca.1939 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque (Photographic Proof)

Photographic proof of a £5 Travellers Cheque prepared for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED around 1939, mounted on cardstock and annotated at upper margin for archival use. This early pre-war layout marks one of the first generations of CBC traveller’s cheques, preceding the coloured issues of the 1960s. 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. ... Read more →

Australia ca.1963 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque (Photographic Proof)

Photographic proof of a £5 Travellers Cheque for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED, mounted on cardstock and dated '9/3/63' in pencil at the lower margin. Produced circa 1963 as part of the bank’s internal approval and recordkeeping process for its international traveller’s cheque program. In the mid-20th century, before widespread credit card adoption, traveller’s cheques were the safest form of portable currency for customers abroad. ... Read more →

Australia ca.1963 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque (Specimen)

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 →

Australia ca.1963 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £2 Travellers Cheque (Specimen)

Specimen traveller’s cheque for £2 issued by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, Limited. Printed in green with an allegorical vignette depicting a child with fleece, symbolizing prosperity, trade, and trust — central ideals in Australian colonial iconography. Traveller’s cheques were part of a major postwar shift in how Australians accessed funds overseas. ... Read more →

Australia 1965 — 10 Dollars Traveller’s Cheque (Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, Approved Design Proof by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.)

Approved design proof for the 10 Dollars traveller’s cheque prepared by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Dated 1965 and annotated “As Submitted – Approved,” this is the final approved version that advanced to production, forming the reference model for the bank’s post-decimal traveller’s cheque issue. The engraving combines subtle multi-tone guilloche in olive and emerald green with precise microline work and a centred map-and-harbour vignette, emblematic of Sydney’s trade and maritime identity. ... Read more →

Australia 1965 — 20 Dollars Traveller’s Cheque (Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, Rejected Design Proof by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.)

Rejected design proof for the proposed 20 Dollars traveller’s cheque printed and engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Submitted in 1965 and annotated “Not Approved,” it represents a parallel concept in the three-denomination traveller’s cheque proposal of that year. The composition features elegant guilloche borders in blue-green and lavender hues, overprinted with a large central watermark-style globe bearing the bank’s initials C.B.C. ... Read more →

Australia 1965 — 50 Dollars Traveller’s Cheque (Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, Rejected Design Proof by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.)

Rejected design proof for the 50 Dollars traveller’s cheque prepared by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Submitted in 1965 as the top denomination in the same three-value series, this pink-rose specimen bears the annotation “Not Approved” and the same submission date as the $20 proof. The engraving is rich and multi-layered, displaying Bradbury Wilkinson’s refined late-intaglio craftsmanship with deep guilloche patterns and broad, formal typography. ... Read more →