Collection PL

Australia 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 1963 - 100 Cruzeiros Specimen (Pick 180s)

Specimen of the 100 Cruzeiros printed by Thomas De La Rue & Co. Ltd., marked by a red SPECIMEN overprint, punch cancels, and De La Rue control ovals at the margin. Identified as Estampa 2A / Série 216A, this note typifies the elegant late-period Cruzeiro designs that bridged classic British engraving with emerging modernist trends in Brazilian note art. ... Read more →

Luxembourg 1982 - 500 Francs Specimen Grand Duchess Charlotte (Pick 52as)

Specimen of the 1982 five hundred francs issue of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, forming the structural backbone denomination within the unissued contingency series. While the 1000 Francs defines the apex, the 500 Francs represents the operational core of the intended circulation system, designed for real transactional use had the issue been released. This example carries serial number A000000 096, presented in standard specimen format with duplicated placement at left and right. ... Read more →

Great Britain 1997 - Thomas De La Rue 100 Units Test Note Portal Watermark

A rare Thomas De La Rue test note, issued as a demonstration piece rather than circulating currency. Dated ND (1997), this 100 Units note was printed to showcase De La Rue’s advanced banknote security design, incorporating microtext, guilloche patterns, and the portal watermark. The obverse features a portrait of Thomas De La Rue with multicolor lathework and the company’s headquarters vignette. ... Read more →

Ireland - Northern 2005 - Northern Bank £50 Replacement Prefix YY (Pick 208)

Replacement note for the 2005 Northern Bank £50 issue, printed by Thomas De La Rue, bearing the distinct 'YY' prefix used exclusively for replacement sheets following the 2004 Belfast vault robbery. These notes were part of the emergency replacement program that saw all pre-robbery stock withdrawn and destroyed, with new serial ranges produced under enhanced security oversight. Featuring the portrait of Sir Samuel Cleland Davidson (1846–1921), inventor and industrialist, the design celebrates Northern Ireland’s engineering legacy. ... 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 Vignette Die Proof (Golden Death Mask)

This engraved vignette die proof preserves the Golden Mask motif prepared for the 500 Denari denomination of the Republic of Macedonia’s first post-independence banknote series issued in 1996. Produced by Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited in London, the proof represents one of the earliest physical stages in the creation of the banknote’s final design. A vignette die proof is printed directly from the engraved steel die before the image is transferred to the working plates used for banknote production. ... Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 500 Denari Issued Note GB2531560 Golden Death Mask (Pick 17a)

The 500 Denari banknote issued in 1996 forms part of the first modern currency series of the Republic of Macedonia following independence in 1991. Introduced by the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia as part of the country’s early monetary stabilization program, the series established the visual identity and security standards of the newly independent state’s paper currency. Production was entrusted to Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited in London, whose security printing expertise shaped both the artistic and technical structure of the notes. ... 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 →

Poland 1988 - 50 Złotych Prefix HK Issued Note (Pick 142c)

The 50 Złotych banknote dated 'Warszawa, 1 Grudnia 1988' represents one of the final circulating issues of the Polish People's Republic before the monetary and political transformations of the early 1990s. Printed by Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych in Warsaw for the Narodowy Bank Polski, the denomination formed part of the 1986–1988 modernization of the circulating banknote series. The obverse presents the portrait of General Karol Świerczewski, a military figure associated with the communist period of Polish history. ... 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 →

New Zealand 1981 - 100 Dollars H.R. Hardie Signature Vertical Perforated SPECIMEN Black Overprint Serial YAA000000 Specimen No. 016 (Pick 175as)

The 1981 one hundred dollars specimen represents a later-stage development in New Zealand’s decimal currency specimen formats, issued during the ND (1981–1985) period under the signature of H.R. Hardie as Chief Cashier. This note belongs to the revised Hardie design phase, distinguished by the updated portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, reflecting the mature visual identity of the series. ... Read more →