Collection PL

China 1880 — Sinkiang Textile Emergency Currency, Cloth Note (Pick Unlisted)

This textile emergency currency from Sinkiang belongs to the late Qing frontier monetary tradition, when regional authorities relied on locally produced substitutes in response to chronic shortages of official coin and paper money. Executed on coarse red-dyed cloth and printed by hand-carved woodblocks, the note reflects a monetary environment shaped by isolation, logistical constraints, and reliance on pre-modern administrative practices. The use of textile as a monetary substrate is not symbolic but functional. ... Read more →

China 1915 — South Sinkiang Border Defence Headquarters 1 Tael Textile Emergency Issue (Pick Unlisted)

This 1 tael textile banknote represents a formally authorized military emergency issue produced in 1915 by the South Sinkiang Border Defence Headquarters during a period of severe administrative and monetary fragmentation in western China. Issued within the southern frontier zone encompassing Khotan, Yarkand, and Karghalik, the note reflects a localized system of fiscal control exercised by military authorities operating with substantial autonomy from central government structures. The banknote is printed on hand-woven textile rather than paper, a deliberate and practical choice dictated by frontier conditions. ... Read more →

China 1918 — Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

An issued textile emergency currency produced in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) during the early Republican period, printed by hand from carved woodblocks onto red-dyed cotton cloth. This note represents a locally authorized substitute currency created for circulation under conditions of monetary instability, material shortage, and fragmented administrative control in China’s western frontier. The design is printed directly onto fabric in dark ink, with the textile weave clearly visible through the impression. ... Read more →

China 1920 — Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

An issued textile emergency currency produced in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) in the early Republican period, printed by hand from woodblock onto coarse red-dyed cotton cloth. This note forms part of the broader tradition of frontier textile currency developed in western China under conditions of monetary instability, material shortage, and decentralized administrative control. The design is executed in dark ink directly on fabric, with the weave of the cloth clearly visible through the printed impression. ... Read more →

China 1921 — Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth with Sun Emblem (Pick Unlisted)

An issued textile emergency currency produced in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) during the early Republican period, printed by hand from carved woodblocks onto red-dyed cotton cloth. This note represents a distinct local issue within the Xinjiang textile tradition, created for circulation under conditions of monetary instability, limited access to paper currency, and decentralized administrative control in China’s western frontier. The design is printed directly onto coarse textile in dark ink, with the weave of the fabric clearly visible through the impression. ... Read more →

China 1922 — Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

An issued textile emergency currency produced in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) during the early Republican period and printed by hand from carved woodblocks onto coarse red-dyed cotton cloth. This note represents a locally authorized substitute currency created for circulation under conditions of monetary disruption, limited access to paper stock, and fragmented administrative control in China’s western frontier. The design is executed directly onto fabric in dark ink, with the textile weave clearly visible through the printed impression. ... Read more →

China 1924 — Dihua Official Coin Bureau 40 Wen Textile Emergency Issue (Pick Unlisted)

This 40 wen textile banknote represents a formally authorized emergency issue produced in 1924 by the Dihua Official Coin Bureau during a period of acute monetary disruption in Xinjiang. Faced with shortages of paper currency, disrupted transport routes, and limited access to centralized printing facilities, local authorities adopted cloth as an alternative monetary substrate to sustain everyday economic activity. The note was printed on coarse red cotton using traditional woodblock techniques, a method well suited to decentralized production and durable circulation under harsh regional conditions. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1887 — Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Issued Note, Serial A053441 (Pick A88a)

This 20 Centesimos note was issued by the Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay under the monetary framework dated 25 de Agosto de 1887, during a period of structured national banking consolidation. Printed in London by Waterlow and Sons, it belongs to the hand-signed emission classified as Pick A88a and reflects the established production phase prior to mechanized signature adoption. Within the 1887 emission hierarchy, the 20 Centesimos denomination functioned as the fractional transactional unit of the series, circulating widely in daily commerce while retaining full engraved security standards. ... Read more →

Fiji 1942 — 1 Pound Government of Fiji Overprint on New Zealand £1 (Pick 45c)

This one pound note issued for Fiji in 1942 was created by overprinting an existing Reserve Bank of New Zealand £1 note originally dated 1 August 1934. The base note was printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company in London for circulation in New Zealand, but during the Second World War it was adapted for emergency use within the British colony of Fiji. In early 1942 Japanese military expansion across the Pacific severely disrupted supply lines throughout the British colonial network. ... Read more →

Confederate States of America 1864 – 10 Dollars (T-68 PF-3 CR-541, First Series in Roman Letters, Richmond)

The ten-dollar note of the February 17, 1864 issue, cataloged as T-68 (Criswell 541), was among the final wartime emissions of the Confederate Treasury. Printed in Richmond, Virginia, by Keatinge & Ball of Columbia, South Carolina, it forms part of the most widely recognized Confederate paper-money design family—distinguished by pink underprint, detailed engraving, and complex typography produced under severe wartime constraints. The central vignette depicts Confederate artillery and cavalry maneuvering on the battlefield, adapted from an original steel engraving used before the war. ... Read more →

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

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 →

China 1945 — Soviet Red Army Headquarters 100 Yuan Issued Note, Revalidated 1946 (Pick M36)

An issued 100 yuan banknote produced in 1945 under the authority of the Soviet Red Army Headquarters during the closing phase of the Second World War, later officially revalidated in 1946. Catalogued as Pick M36, this note forms part of the provisional monetary system established by Soviet military administration in northeastern China following the collapse of Japanese control in Manchuria. Currency issued by the Soviet Red Army Headquarters functioned within a command-level financial structure designed to support military logistics, civilian transactions, and administrative continuity in occupied territory. ... Read more →