Collection PL

Egypt 1911 - The Odeon Hall, Cairo Gold Watch Repair Invoice

Early 1911 invoice from The Odeon Hall in Cairo, one of the city’s most modern pre-war establishments combining gramophone sales, watchmaking, and luxury retail. Issued for the repair of a gold watch, the bilingual French–Arabic letterhead advertises phonographs, records, and precision horological services, reflecting Egypt’s rapid adoption of European technology and leisure culture. The page displays a refined pre-war commercial aesthetic: scrolling decorative borders, clear French titles with Arabic equivalents, and balanced typesetting characteristic of early Cairo printing houses. ... Read more →

Russia 1920 - Armed Forces of South Russia 100,000 Rubles Treasury Bill (November Issue, Pick S431c)

Six-percent short-term Treasury bill for 100,000 rubles issued by the Government Treasury of the Armed Forces of South Russia during the final phase of the Russian Civil War. This is the November 15, 1920 payable issue (Pick S431c), printed after General Pyotr Wrangel transferred the White administration to Crimea. The note follows the classical Imperial layout: bilingual Russian–French legends, the double-headed eagle in an ornate oval cartouche at left, and a formal typographic bond structure intended to signal continuity with pre-1917 state finance. ... Read more →

Egypt 1912 - Allen, Alderson & Co. Machinery Agents, Alexandria (Illustrated Letterhead)

Spectacular illustrated industrial letterhead from Allen, Alderson & Co., Alexandria, dated 18 January 1912. The firm served as engineering agents and importers for major British manufacturers such as Ruston, Proctor & Co., supplying steam engines, boilers, pumps, and milling equipment to Egypt’s rapidly modernising industrial and agricultural sectors. The sheet features a refined bilingual English–Arabic masthead identifying the company as agents, importers, and engineers active throughout the Delta and Upper Egypt. ... Read more →

1931 - Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Cairo Correspondence Set (Letter, Registered Cover, and Account Statement)

Complete 1931 Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Cairo correspondence set consisting of three original components: a printed bank letterhead with bilingual Arabic–French text, the matching addressed postal cover bearing a King Fuad 5m franking and Cairo postal strikes, and the full Konto–Korrent account statement issued to the same client on the same date. Taken together, these documents preserve the complete administrative chain between the German overseas bank's Cairo branch and one of its Egyptian clients during the interwar period. ... 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 →

Egypt 1923 - Banco di Roma, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original Banco di Roma cheque issued in Cairo on 17 November 1923, printed on cream security paper with a richly engraved Roman header characteristic of interwar Italian banknote and cheque design. At the upper left, within an elaborate vertical cartouche of scrollwork and rosettes, appears the iconic Capitoline Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus. This emblem served as the visual shorthand for Banco di Roma's institutional identity and its projection of Italian national symbolism abroad. ... Read more →

Egypt 1901 - Philibin & Vve. Barrot, Cairo Hardware Merchants (Art Nouveau Letterhead Invoice)

Original 1901 illustrated invoice from Philibin & Vve. Barrot, the prominent Cairo ironmongery and hardware firm founded in 1871. The masthead is printed in a pale blue-grey Art Nouveau style, featuring an ornamental banner with PHILIBIN & Vve. ... Read more →

Egypt 1912 - Compagnie des Bateaux Omnibus (Nile Steamer Illustrated Letterhead)

Original 17 October 1912 illustrated letterhead of the Compagnie des Bateaux Omnibus, printed on pale beige laid paper with a finely executed lithographed masthead. At the upper left is a detailed vignette showing a Nile side-wheeler steamer underway, flying the red company pennant marked C.B.O. The steamer is depicted passing a palm-lined bank with mooring post and faint pyramidal silhouettes in the background, capturing one of the most iconic motifs of early twentieth-century Egyptian river transport. ... Read more →

Egypt 1950 - Gamil Fawzi El-Motei Oldsmobile & Vauxhall Service Station (Heliopolis–Abbassia)

Original 1950 service and delivery letterhead from Gamil Fawzi El-Motei, the official Oldsmobile and Vauxhall agent in Cairo and one of the earliest postwar General Motors dealerships operating in Egypt. The top section is printed on light cream stock and features an unusually elaborate illustrated masthead for a mid-century Arab automotive agency. Two large halftone photographs dominate the header: the left image shows the dealership's illuminated evening service station with its tower signage and forecourt lighting, while the right image presents a clear street-level view of the showroom façade, with GENERAL MOTORS branding and the distinctive EL-MOTEI signage above the entrance. ... Read more →

Egypt 1908 - Mohammed El Komi Carriage & Automobile Workshop Invoice

Original 1908 trade invoice from Mohammed El Komi, a Cairo-based carriage and early automobile workshop situated on Rue El Saha near the palace of Mazloum Pasha. The upper section features a finely lithographed header showing a side-profile illustration of a horse-drawn carriage with the driver seated at the front. Above the vignette, the workshop name 'MOHAMMED EL KOMI' appears in a bold curved arc. ... Read more →

Egypt 1921 - National Bank of Egypt, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original National Bank of Egypt cheque issued in Cairo on 23 March 1921, printed on pale cream security paper with an elaborate blue guilloche frame. The border consists of finely interlaced geometric linework characteristic of early twentieth-century British-engraved financial stationery. The upper section displays the bold NATIONAL BANK OF EGYPT title flanked by twin rosettes, presenting the institution in its combined role as both Egypt’s de facto state bank and the country’s dominant commercial bank during this period. ... Read more →

Egypt 1935 - Palestine & Egypt Lloyd Ltd., Alexandria Agency Letterhead

Original 1935 commercial letterhead issued by Palestine and Egypt Lloyd Ltd., one of the most important multinational forwarding, clearing, and passenger-transport agencies operating in the Eastern Mediterranean during the interwar period. The sheet is printed on period cream office stock and carries a trilingual English–French–Arabic masthead, dominated by the bold PEL monogram at upper left. The left margin lists every operational branch of the company-Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Haifa, Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Damascus, Aleppo, Baghdad, and Teheran-providing an unusually comprehensive snapshot of a major Levantine–Egyptian commercial network at a moment when regional transport corridors were undergoing rapid modernization. ... Read more →