Collection PL

Uruguay 1896 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 100 Pesos Photographic Proof Pair (Pick Unlisted)

A photographic proof pair for the 100 Pesos issue dated 1896, produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay. Printed in black on photographic paper and mounted on cardstock, this pair records the approved face and back designs prior to preparation of circulation plates. The obverse presents a symmetrical composition centered on the denomination, flanked by dual engraved portrait medallions within an elaborate neoclassical framework. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1920 — Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company José Gervasio Artigas Engraved Portrait Die Proof (Reference 192A, Cancelled)

An engraved portrait die proof of José Gervasio Artigas produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company of London for the Republic of Uruguay. Printed in black from a master steel die onto thin India paper and mounted on card, this proof carries the printer identification, country designation, and the internal reference number “192A.” Directly beneath this reference, the word “CANCELLED” appears as a printed, typeset element, indicating formal cancellation at the printer level. The portrait depicts Artigas in restrained neoclassical profile, engraved with finely controlled line work and tightly structured cross-hatching. ... Read more →

United States 1928G — 2 Dollars Legal Tender Note Red Seal Star Replacement (Friedberg 1508*)

This 1928G 2 Dollars Legal Tender Note (Friedberg 1508*, A Block) is a high-grade Star Replacement example from the first small-size red seal issue of U.S. currency. The star prefix before the serial number *03707599A identifies it as a replacement printed to substitute for a defective note detected during Bureau of Engraving and Printing inspection — an early quality control process that makes such notes inherently scarcer than standard production pieces. ... Read more →

Poland 1940 — 10 Złotych Bank Emisyjny w Polsce Prefix C Kraków Issue Approval Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

This Prefix C approval specimen of the 10 Złotych issue documents the formal authorization stage of one of the core denominations of the 1940 General Government banknote series. Dated Kraków, 1 March 1940, the note represents the fully approved production standard used to initiate circulation printing by Bank Emisyjny w Polsce. The specimen is fully engraved and signed, corresponding in design, layout, and security structure to the issued banknote. ... Read more →

Spain 1876 — Banco de España 100 Pesetas Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick 11x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Banco de España one hundred pesetas issue of 1876, produced during the active circulation period of the official banknote and intended to pass as legal tender in everyday commerce. Classified in standard references as Pick 11x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials and printing methods consistent with late nineteenth-century Spanish monetary circulation. Contemporary counterfeits form a distinct and historically significant category within paper money studies. ... Read more →

South Africa 1861 — Montagu Bank 5 Pounds Remainder (Pick S231r)

This note is an unissued remainder of the Montagu Bank five pounds denomination, produced in the early 1860s during the brief operational life of one of the Cape Colony’s most distinctive private commercial banks. As the highest denomination authorized by the Montagu Bank, the five pounds issue occupied the uppermost tier of the institution’s monetary structure and was intended for large commercial settlements, capital transactions, and internal accounting rather than routine daily exchange. The Montagu Bank was established in 1861 at a time when local banking was widely regarded as essential to trade and economic development within the Cape Colony. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Perforated Cancel, Series A–B (Pick 41as)

This specimen note represents a distinct institutional handling variant of the one thousand pesos denomination of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939, during the mature phase of state-directed banking and currency policy in Uruguay. As the highest denomination issued within the national paper money system at the time, the 1000 pesos was reserved exclusively for interbank settlement, treasury accounting, and large-scale financial operations, and was never intended for routine public circulation. By the late 1930s, the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay functioned as the central pillar of the country’s monetary framework, combining commercial banking activity with responsibility for currency issuance, financial regulation, and monetary stability. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie D, Specimen No. 23 (Pick 41cs)

This specimen note represents the one thousand pesos denomination of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939, a period that marks the mature phase of state-directed banking and currency policy in Uruguay. Produced as an official non-circulating specimen, this note was created for institutional reference, printer archives, and controlled distribution among central banking authorities, government departments, and international financial correspondents, rather than for public monetary use. The Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay, established in 1896, had by the late 1930s consolidated its role as the principal state banking institution, combining commercial operations with responsibility for currency issuance, monetary stabilization, and credit regulation. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie C, Specimen No. 2 (Pick 41bs)

This specimen note represents the one thousand pesos denomination of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939, a period that marks the mature phase of state-directed banking and currency policy in Uruguay. Produced as an official non-circulating specimen, this note was created for institutional reference, printer archives, and controlled distribution among central banking authorities, government departments, and international financial correspondents, rather than for public monetary use. The Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay, established in 1896, had by the late 1930s consolidated its role as the principal state banking institution, combining commercial operations with responsibility for currency issuance, monetary stabilization, and credit regulation. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, De La Rue Cancel Stamp, Serie A, Specimen No. 50 (Pick 41as)

This specimen note represents a further distinct institutional handling variant of the one thousand pesos denomination of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939. As the highest denomination issued within Uruguay’s paper currency system at the time, the 1000 pesos was reserved exclusively for interbank settlement, treasury accounting, and high-level financial administration, and was never intended for routine public circulation. By the late 1930s, the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay had consolidated its position as the central state banking institution, responsible not only for commercial banking functions but also for currency issuance, monetary regulation, and financial stability. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 — Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Issued Note (Pick 5e)

This issued one dollar note of the Cayman Islands Currency Board belongs to the long-running series authorized under the Cayman Islands Currency Law of 1974, a framework that formalized the islands’ modern paper currency system while maintaining the Currency Board model of disciplined issuance. Although the note is dated 1974 in the series structure, the PMG label attribution indicates the later printing date as not dated 1985, reflecting a practice common to currency board emissions: a stable design and legal base date, paired with later printings as replacement and demand required during successive administrative terms. The obverse is built around a deliberately conservative composition typical of late twentieth century Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited output for British overseas territories. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 — Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Issued Note (Pick 5d)

This issued one dollar note of the Cayman Islands Currency Board represents a later printing of the design authorized under the Cayman Islands Currency Law of 1974, with the PMG label attributing the production to a not dated 1985 printing. This practice reflects the operational model of currency board systems, where a fixed legal framework and stable design were retained while notes were printed in successive batches to meet circulation demand under changing administrative oversight. The obverse follows a restrained and highly structured layout characteristic of Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited’s work for British overseas territories during the late twentieth century. ... Read more →