Collection PL

New Caledonia 1871 - French Treasury Second of Exchange for 2,000 Francs (Service des Colonies)

A colonial treasury bill of exchange issued in 1871 under the authority of the French public treasury for the colony of New Caledonia. This document represents the second of exchange (*seconde*), forming part of a standard multi-part financial instrument employed by the French administration to execute high-value intercontinental payments within the colonial fiscal system. Read more →

Martinique 1870 - Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Cheque Recovered After the 1902 Mount Pelée Eruption (Pick P.5A)

A Banque de la Martinique one franc cheque form, Pick P.5A, originally printed for use at Saint-Pierre during the late nineteenth century and later recovered from the ruins of the city following the catastrophic eruption of Mount Pelée on 8 May 1902. Although printed decades earlier as part of the bank’s standardized cheque issue, this surviving example was never negotiated as a financial instrument and instead entered history as a disaster-recovery relic, explicitly identified as such by contemporary handwritten annotations. Read more →

Portugal 1799 - Real Erario 20000 Reis Apólice, Original Issue, No Overprint, Lisboa No. 37723

Their role expanded in 1797. Decrees allowed apolices to be used for certain taxes and payments, and authorized smaller denominations below the previous 50,000-reis minimum. These instruments could circulate in public and private transactions as bearer obligations. A recipient could be required to accept apolices for up to half of a payment. The face of this example promises payment to its bearer one year from the handwritten issue date, with the corresponding interest. The loan's annual interest rate was set at 6 percent. Read more →

Italy 1745 - Regie Finanze di Torino - 100 Lire Back Proof, Pre-Date Control State (Pick Unlisted)

The lower border carries the engraved plate identifier P.2, confirming production from plate number two and documenting systematic plate-based preparation. The sheet format preserves full margins and original plate context, confirming that the impression was never prepared for circulation or cutting. No serial numbers, handwritten entries, signatures, or issuance markings are present. Read more →

Italy 1746 - Regie Finanze di Torino - 100 Lire Back Proof, Fixed-Date Control State (Pick Unlisted)

The sheet format preserves full margins and original plate context, confirming that the impression was never prepared for circulation or cutting. No serial numbers, handwritten entries, signatures, or issuance markings are present. This fixed-date back proof sheet therefore records a finalized control stage within the production process of the one hundred lire issue while remaining a non-issued proof artifact. Read more →

Italy 1765 - Regie Finanze di Torino - 100 Lire Front Proof, Final Face State (Pick Unlisted)

The engraving exhibits consistent line depth, finely articulated lettering, and fully populated ornamental borders throughout. The lower margin carries the engraved plate identifier P.2, confirming systematic plate-based production. No serial numbers, handwritten entries, or signatures are present, confirming proof status rather than issued currency. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Specimen with Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' (Pick 5as)

Along the lower margin, handwritten printer annotations are present and correspond to production or archival handling notes made during the specimen’s retention within Thomas De La Rue’s internal reference system. These annotations, cited directly on the PMG label, authenticate the note as printer-handled material rather than a later altered circulation example. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Specimen with Red Overprint (Pick 5s)

Small handwritten printer’s annotations are present at the upper margin of the note, applied during production or internal handling at Thomas De La Rue. These markings are subtle but intentional and represent routine printer-side notation rather than later defacement, further confirming the specimen’s role as controlled reference material retained outside circulation channels. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Specimen with Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' (Pick 6s, 467/1–A2)

This example must be catalogued separately from its parallel A1 counterpart because its archival control notation differs. In the upper right margin the printer job notation reads “467/1–A2.” Along the lower margin the inscription reads “C.T. Wood 12.10.89 see notes on order form.” Within printer-archive material, such suffix differences are not minor: they represent distinct internal states, filing or review designations, and handling history. In a field where the engraved design is intentionally stable, these notations become the primary fingerprints of the object. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Specimen with Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' (Pick 6s, 467/1–A1)

This specimen is best understood as archival documentation rather than as a market-category item. It preserves a complete reference impression of the five dollar design and records, through its perforation and handwritten annotations, the internal control language by which De La Rue differentiated and managed specimen material within the same 1974 Cayman series. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1996 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Specimen with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp (Pick 17s)

The specimen format is defined by a layered invalidation protocol. A bold red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint spans the face of the note, accompanied by two red oval control stamps reading “SPECIMEN / DE LA RUE / NO VALUE,” applied in the standard De La Rue archival format. A single punch cancellation in the signature area provides additional physical voiding, permanently removing monetary function while preserving the engraved design in full clarity. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1996 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 25 Dollars Specimen with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp (Pick 19s)

The specimen format is defined by a bold red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint across the face, accompanied by two red oval control stamps reading “SPECIMEN / DE LA RUE & CO LTD / NO VALUE.” A single punch cancellation is present in the signature area, physically voiding the note while leaving the engraved composition entirely legible. Read more →