Collection PL

New Zealand 1870–1890 - Bank of New Zealand £1 Green Specimen (Pick S191s)

The first Bank of New Zealand specimen and the foundation of the country’s pre-Reserve Bank note lineage. Engraved and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, London, this one pound green specimen (Pick S191s) established the visual architecture reused throughout all later BNZ issues: paired Māori figures at left, an engraved coastal vignette below, and an ornate duty-tint panel framing the ONE POUND denomination. This design became the structural and visual origin of the Bank of New Zealand color lineage that defined New Zealand’s early commercial-bank currency. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1895–1915 - Bank of New Zealand 5 Pounds Orange Specimen (Pick S192s)

The high-denomination anchor of the Bank of New Zealand color series, this five pounds orange specimen (Pick S192s) represents one of the most structurally complex and production-informative notes of New Zealand’s private banking era. Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, London, it embodies the transition from richly ornamental Victorian engraving toward the more controlled and symmetrical Edwardian framework that followed. The composition preserves the defining elements of the earlier series-paired Māori figures within oval medallions at left, a lower maritime vignette reflecting colonial trade identity, and a dense guilloche lattice enclosing the denomination-while introducing a more disciplined spatial hierarchy across the central obligation panel. ... Read more →

New Zealand ND (1924-1933) - Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings Proof, Perforated SPECIMEN (Pick S161s)

Printers archival proof for the Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings, classified in the Standard Catalog and grading records as New Zealand Pick S161s (ND 1924-1933) and produced in London by Charles Skipper and East. This piece was never intended for circulation. It was created as part of the printers internal proofing, approval, and archival process and survives as a workshop original documenting the final approved design for a denomination that ultimately never entered public issue. ... Read more →

New Zealand ND (1924-1933) - Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings Oversized Proof, Perforated SPECIMEN (Pick S161s)

Printers archival oversized proof for the Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings, classified in the Standard Catalog and grading records as New Zealand Pick S161s (ND 1924-1933) and produced in London by Charles Skipper and East. This example survives on an oversized, untrimmed sheet and represents the most internal and earliest preserved production state of the design. Although cataloged under New Zealand, the design belongs to the broader Australasian operating structure of the Bank of New South Wales, a trans Tasman institution active in both Australia and New Zealand. ... Read more →

Argentina 1884 - El Banco del Chaco 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro Serial 05056 (Pick S1566)

Partial issued note of El Banco del Chaco’s 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro, dated 1 Octubre 1884 and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, for the Villa Ocampo branch under the Ley de Bancos Garantidos provincial charter. The vignette centers on an allegory of Agriculture symbolizing prosperity and labor, flanked by a dog and bull for loyalty and strength-one of BWC’s finest small-format engravings for South America. Although the upper-right corner is missing, this early-serial piece (No. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1867 - Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Issued Note, Handwritten Right-Side Signature, Serial 55818 (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. This issue represents the foundational appearance of the Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado denomination and establishes the complete visual, symbolic, and technical template later reused for subsequent reauthorizations in the early 1870s. The obverse design follows the classic American Bank Note Company international style of the mid-nineteenth century. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1867 - Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Issued Note, Dual Handwritten Signatures at Left and Right, Serial 23286 (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. Although produced from the same engraved plates as the standard single-signature issue, this example documents a brief and highly unusual authorization phase in which two handwritten circulation signatures were applied to a single note. The obverse design is identical to the standard 1867 Banco Oriental issue, featuring allegorical female figures representing Commerce and Abundance at left, the national coat of arms at right, and a prominent central orange guilloche bearing the inscription “UN DOBLÓN DE ORO SELLADO.” This inscription emphasized gold convertibility and was central to public confidence in privately issued paper money during Uruguay’s mid-nineteenth-century monetary development. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1867 - Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Issued Note, Centered Handwritten Signature, Serial 35345 (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. Produced from the same engraved plates as the standard single-signature issue, this example documents a transitional authorization state following the brief dual-signature requirement implemented during the initial circulation period. The obverse design remains unchanged from the core 1867 issue, featuring allegorical female figures representing Commerce and Abundance at left, the national coat of arms at right, and a prominent central orange guilloche bearing the inscription “UN DOBLÓN DE ORO SELLADO.” The design emphasizes gold convertibility and reflects American Bank Note Company engraving standards developed for Latin American monetary contracts of the mid-nineteenth century. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1867 - Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Issued Note, Facsimile Signature at Right, Serial 74487 (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. This example represents the final standardized production state of the Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado issue, marking the full transition from manual authorization to mechanically reproduced signatures. The obverse design remains consistent with all 1867 Banco Oriental Doblón notes, featuring allegorical female figures representing Commerce and Abundance at left, the national coat of arms at right, and a prominent central orange guilloche bearing the inscription “UN DOBLÓN DE ORO SELLADO.” This visual continuity underscores the reuse of the original engraved plates throughout all authorization phases of the issue. ... Read more →

Bolivia 1903 - Banco Agrícola 5 Bolivianos (Proof Pair)

Matched front and back printer’s proofs attributed to the American Bank Note Company, both graded PMG 63. These proofs were prepared as final design studies before mass production, allowing the printer and issuing bank to review alignment, color, and engraving detail prior to signature placement or numbering. The 5 Bolivianos design reflects Bolivia’s early 20th-century drive to modernize its financial infrastructure following the Federal Revolution of 1899. ... 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 →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37a, Without Arabic Inscription)

This note represents the earliest circulation variety of the Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars issue introduced in 1971, featuring the portrait of Omar al-Mukhtar and classified as Pick 37a. It was released into circulation without the Arabic legal inscription along the lower margin that would later be added to the series, marking this variety as the initial production state of the issued note. The omission of the Arabic inscription reflects the rapid transition from design approval to public release during the early years of Libya’s republican currency reform. ... Read more →