Collection PL

Uruguay 1870 — Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 Centesimos, Junta de Credito Publico (“Cow Head”) Serial 274594 (Pick A109b)

Issued by the Junta de Credito Publico under the Ley de 4 de Mayo de 1870, this 50 Centesimos note represents one of Uruguay’s earliest government-backed paper currencies. Locally printed in Montevideo by Litografía G. Mas & Cía., the design belongs to the same inaugural emission as the 1 Peso 'Mercury' note. ... Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 — 5000 Denari Issued Note EA5464675 Maened (Pick 19a)

The 5000 Denari note issued in 1996 forms part of the first complete banknote series of the Republic of Macedonia following independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Introduced by the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia as part of the country’s early monetary stabilization program, the series marked the establishment of a distinct national currency identity separate from the Yugoslav dinar system. Production of the notes was contracted to Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited in London, one of the world’s leading security printers, whose technical standards shaped the visual and structural character of the entire issue. ... Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 — 500 Denari Specimen Golden Death Mask GA0000000 No. 006 (Pick 17s)

This official De La Rue printer specimen records the finalized design of the 500 Denari denomination from the Republic of Macedonia’s inaugural post-independence banknote series issued in 1996. Prepared for internal verification and institutional reference, the specimen preserves the complete production artwork while being permanently invalidated for monetary use. The note displays the full set of Thomas De La Rue & Company specimen control devices. ... Read more →

North Macedonia 2003 - 500 Denari Issued Note DA8148021 Golden Death Mask (Pick 21a)

The 500 Denari banknote dated January 2003 represents a continuation printing of the denomination within the banknote program of the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia. While maintaining the established design introduced in the 1996 series, the 2003 issue reflects a later production batch prepared by Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited in London, preserving the same national imagery while refining color balance and background guilloche structures. At the center of the design remains the Golden Mask motif derived from the funerary mask discovered at the archaeological site of Trebeništa near Ohrid, dating to the 6th century BCE. ... Read more →

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

Matched front and back proof pair of the 20 Dollars banknote issued by The Bank of Nova Scotia of Halifax, Nova Scotia, dated 22 July 1896. Engraved and printed by the American Bank Note Company of New York, the pair documents the approval stage of one of the most elaborate chartered banknote designs produced in Canada during the late nineteenth century. The front proof is printed in black and white, the standard format used for die and plate approval. ... Read more →

France 1793 — Domaines Nationaux Assignat 10 Sous Block 305, Watermark RF/Xs (Pick A68b)

Small‑change assignat issued by the Revolutionary government for the sale and administration of the 'Domaines Nationaux'—property confiscated from the Crown, Church and émigrés. These fractional notes functioned as day‑to‑day money during the inflationary years of the Revolution. The face shows the typographic layout introduced for the small denominations: a classical frame with civic emblems and the famous border mottos 'LA LOI PUNIT DE MORT LE CONTREFACTEUR' and 'LA NATION RÉCOMPENSE LE DÉNONCIATEUR'. ... Read more →

France 1793 — Domaines Nationaux Assignat 50 Sols Série 681 Watermark RF/50s (Pick A70b)

Fifty‑sols assignat from the 'Domaines Nationaux' series—fractional Revolutionary paper keyed to sales and rents of nationalized property but used broadly as transactional money. The denomination sits in a classical pediment supported by allegorical figures of Economy and Justice, a visual program meant to legitimize paper credit in a time of fiscal emergency. Design details include 'Loi du 23 Mai 1793', 'Série 681', the manuscript signature 'Fausny', an impressed state seal (timbre sec), and a purpose‑made watermark 'RF/50s'. ... Read more →

United States 1874 – 25 Cents Fourth Issue Fractional Currency Allison | Spinner Watermarked Paper 40mm Red Seal (Fr.1301)

The Fourth Issue of fractional currency, introduced between 1869 and 1875, marked the culmination of America’s Civil War–era experiment with small-denomination paper money. This twenty-five cent note (Friedberg 1301) bears the engraved signatures of Treasury officials John Allison and Francis Spinner and was printed by the National Bank Note Company of New York under government contract. Fractional notes such as this filled the coin shortage caused by hoarding of gold and silver during and after the war. ... Read more →

United States 1872 – State of South Carolina $50 Revenue Bond Scrip Act of March 2 1872 Columbia Issue

The fifty-dollar Revenue Bond Scrip authorized by the Act of March 2, 1872, stands among the most elaborate and symbolically charged notes of Reconstruction-era South Carolina. Produced by the American Bank Note Company of New York, these notes were issued to pay state obligations and to function as tax receipts, serving as both a medium of exchange and an assertion of solvency during a turbulent postwar decade. The design balances artistry and propaganda. ... Read more →

Confederate States of America 1864 – 100 Dollars Pink Underprint Richmond (T-65 CR-121)

The one-hundred-dollar note of the February 17, 1864 Confederate issue, cataloged as T-65 (Criswell 121), was the highest denomination of the Confederacy’s final paper-money series. Printed by Keatinge & Ball in Columbia, South Carolina, this design became one of the most recognizable icons of Confederate finance during the final year of the Civil War. The central vignette features an allegorical female portrait often associated with Lucy Pickens of South Carolina. ... Read more →

United States 1929 – American Bank Note Company Test Note, 10 Units, Green Series of 1929 With Watermark and Segmented Foil Security Thread

This engraved test note by the American Bank Note Company (ABNCo) represents one of the firm’s most enduring demonstration designs, known as the 'Series of 1929' specimen. Although dated 1929, these were printed decades later—primarily in the 1960s and 1970s—as house proofs and sales samples showcasing engraving precision, watermark technology, and later innovations such as foil-thread anti-counterfeiting devices. The layout follows classic ABNCo symmetry: a central allegorical portrait of Liberty, derived from earlier U.S. ... Read more →

Japan 1800 — Edo Period 5 Momme Silver Hansatsu with Daikokuten Reverse and Oil Merchant Validation Seal Woodblock Printed on Handmade Washi Paper

This Edo-period hansatsu is a striking survivor from the decentralized monetary world of Tokugawa Japan, when paper currency was not yet a national system but a local instrument of trust, exchange, and authority. Printed by hand-carved woodblock on handmade washi paper, the note belongs to the long, narrow format associated with feudal domain and regional exchange issues. These notes circulated within local commercial systems, where value was understood through seals, inscriptions, redemption practice, and the reputation of the issuing authority rather than through modern banknote conventions. ... Read more →