Collection PL

Great Britain c.1806–1812 — Derby Bank £5 Proof (Pick Unlisted)

A printer’s proof of a £5 note prepared for the Derby Bank during the formative years of British provincial banking, dating to circa 1806–1812. This piece belongs to the critical transitional period between eighteenth-century handwritten credit instruments and the fully industrialized, security-driven banknote production that would dominate the nineteenth century. At the time this proof was produced, Britain’s monetary system was still decentralized. ... Read more →

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

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 →

Brazil 1964 — 100 Cruzeiros (Essay Face Proof, SCWPM 170b)

Large-format essay face proof for a proposed 100 Cruzeiros design, mounted on card and attributed to the early Tesouro Nacional redesign period of the 1960s. This archival printer’s pull demonstrates the face layout considered for adoption under SCWPM 170b, with unfinished margins and unprinted color fields typical of pre-production material. Essays such as this served as presentation pieces for government and bank approval before finalizing plate engravings. ... Read more →

Poland 1940 — 10 Złotych Contemporary Counterfeit with WERTLOS Stamp (Pick 94x)

Striking example of a 1940 Poland 10 Złotych contemporary counterfeit, catalogued as Pick 94x and certified PMG 55 About Uncirculated. Produced clandestinely during the German occupation, this note replicates the official Bank Emisyjny design but lacks serial numbers and issue letters — clear hallmarks of underground production. A bold purple 'WERTLOS' (worthless) overprint was applied across the face, likely as an official or resistance-era cancellation after discovery. ... Read more →

Poland 1940 — 10 Złotych Printing Remnants Forgery Workshop Underprint (Miłczak 94)

Fascinating semi-finished product from a wartime forgery workshop, connected with the 10 złotych 1940 issue (Miłczak 94). The piece is printed only with the underprint of the obverse design — background guilloches and the female allegorical portrait at left — without the main face value, overprints, or full intaglio elements. Trimmed to the correct banknote format, it represents an intermediate stage in the counterfeiting process. ... Read more →

Egypt 1918 — Banque Belge pour l’Étranger, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original cheque issued by the Cairo branch of Banque Belge pour l'Étranger on 2 September 1918, produced during the final phase of the First World War. The form is printed on light cream security stock with a richly engraved Art Nouveau header. Along the left margin runs a vertical ornamental cartouche enclosing the bank’s interlocking monogram and the legend BANQUE BELGE POUR L'ÉTRANGER – LE CAIRE, framed by a list of the bank’s principal branches in BRUXELLES, LONDRES, ROTTERDAM, LE CAIRE, ALEXANDRIE, SHANGHAI, PEKIN and TIENTSIN. ... Read more →

Brazil ca. 1852–1870 — Imperial Treasury of Brazil 10 Mil Réis Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick A231x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Imperial Treasury of Brazil ten mil réis issue, 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 A231x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials, engraving methods, and paper consistent with mid-nineteenth-century Brazilian monetary circulation. Contemporary counterfeits occupy a distinct and historically important category within paper money studies. ... Read more →

Spain 1875 — Banco de España 50 Pesetas Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick 7x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Banco de España fifty pesetas issue of 1875, 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 7x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials and printing methods consistent with nineteenth-century Spanish monetary circulation. Contemporary counterfeits occupy a distinct and historically important category within paper money studies. ... 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 →