Collection PL

Poland 1994 - 50 Złotych Remainder (Pick 175ar Miłczak 198a–b)

Remainder of the 50 złotych note issued by Narodowy Bank Polski within the first fully modern banknote series of the Third Republic, dated 25 March 1994. This example represents production-stage material retained outside the finalized circulation workflow and is cataloged as Pick 175ar, corresponding to Miłczak 198a–b. The note preserves the complete printed design prepared by Thomas De La Rue, London, including the portrait of King Kazimierz III Wielki (Casimir the Great), the integrated guilloche structures, and the finalized denomination and emblematic layout of the modernized Polish currency system. ... Read more →

Australia 1877 - Mercantile Bank of Sydney £1 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A superb Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. specimen from the early colonial banking era, this £1 note for the Mercantile Bank of Sydney survives today as the only documented example of its type. Certified PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated and recorded as Pop 1, it represents a unique surviving specimen of a private Australian bank whose issues rarely appear in any form. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Specimen with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp AR Prefix (Pick Unlisted)

This AR-prefix specimen is a fully printed presentation example of the 50 zlotych banknote from Poland’s 1994 series, prepared by Thomas De La Rue for controlled institutional use. The note preserves the complete production design corresponding to the issued banknote and carries serial number AR0000000 together with the official signatures of the National Bank of Poland. A bold red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint spans the face of the note and is accompanied by two red oval NO VALUE stamps applied in the standard De La Rue format. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1916–1920 - Bank of New Zealand £5 Red-Rose (Orange Lineage) Specimen with Serial Number Prefix (Pick S227s)

The finest preserved £5 specimen of New Zealand’s wartime private-banknote era and the highest-graded example recorded for Pick S227s. Printed in London by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. during the 1916–1920 wartime production cycle, this specimen represents an internal audit and approval piece retained from a numbered print run rather than a zero-serial display copy. ... Read more →

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

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 →

Poland 1936 - 50 Zlotych Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (Pick 78a, Miłczak 77a–b)

The 50 Zlotych note dated 11 November 1936 with the portrait of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski represents the highest artistic and symbolic achievement of Polish interwar banknote design. Conceived as the flagship denomination of a fully modernized Bank Polski series, it was intended to embody state continuity, national identity, and technical excellence at a moment when the Second Polish Republic had reached institutional maturity. The choice of date was deliberate. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1862 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 100 Pesos Specimen (Pick S245s)

This perforated specimen of the 1862 100 Pesos note was prepared for the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata, among the earliest private commercial banks to operate in Uruguay and the wider River Plate region. Founded in Buenos Aires in 1862 with a Montevideo branch soon after, the bank served as a critical financial link between South American trade and British capital-handling customs revenue, shipping finance, and early railway projects. Engraved and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. ... Read more →

Poland 1936 - 50 Zlotych Reverse Progressive Proof (Pick 78pp2)

Progressive proof of the reverse design for the unissued 1936 50 Zlotych - one of the most advanced and visually ambitious notes ever conceived by the Second Polish Republic. Printed by the Państwowa Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych (PWPW) in Warsaw, this sheet captures a transitional stage in the birth of a masterpiece. The reverse artwork was executed under the artistic supervision of Wacław Borowski and engraved by Włodzimierz Vacek, two of the most accomplished figures in pre-war Polish graphic arts. ... Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Specimen (Omar al-Mukhtar Portrait, Pick 37s)

This specimen represents the official pre-issue specimen of the Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars note introduced in 1971, the first high-denomination issue of the Libyan Arab Republic following the abolition of the monarchy. Bearing the red SPECIMEN overprint and zero control serials, the note documents the final approved design state immediately before full circulation printing commenced. Specimen banknotes occupy a distinct position within the currency production and distribution process. ... Read more →

Paraguay 1907 - 100 Pesos with 1912 State Overprint (Pick 134, Base Pick 159)

Exceptional 1907 Banco de la República 100 Pesos, printed by Waterlow & Sons, London, and later revalidated by the Paraguayan state through the bold oval overprint “Emisión del Estado – Ley de 11 de Enero de 1912.” This is the recognized catalogued 1912 state-overprint issue, Pick 134, created on the original 1907 Banco de la República 100 Pesos base type, Pick 159. Unlike the rarer dual-side treasury revalidation variety, this example carries the official state emission overprint on the face only, making it the standard and historically definitive form of the 1912 emergency reissue. The 1912 overprint was not a decorative or routine bank marking. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 - Tesouro Nacional 20 Cruzeiros Front & Back Proof

Superb archival proof of the 20 Cruzeiros note, produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Tesouro Nacional. Both obverse and reverse are mounted on a single presentation sheet, showcasing the portrait of Dom Pedro II at right and an allegorical vignette of reclining Industry on the reverse. The pair demonstrates the harmony of engraving and typographic composition typical of Brazil’s mid-century currency. ... Read more →

Portugal 1917 - Banco de Portugal 50 Mil Réis Front Progressive Proof (Pick 110pp1)

Front progressive proof for the Banco de Portugal 50 Mil Réis, printed in a single intaglio color to test composition and line fidelity before the final multi-color stones were prepared. Without underprint or overprint, it exposes the engraver’s hand-the bare guilloche network and portrait cartouche that later defined the completed note. PMG 25 EPQ Very Fine. ... Read more →