Collection PL

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie C, Specimen No. 2 (Pick 41bs)

Across the obverse, the issuer's authority is stated in exceptionally prominent form. REPUBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUGUAY stretches across the upper center, while MIL PESOS occupies the central ornamental panel. The obligation text and reference to the law of 2 January 1939 establish the note within the legal structure of the issue, making the design both a monetary instrument and a printed declaration of state-backed value. Read more →

United States 1854 - Empire City Bank 100 Dollars Proof (Pick NY1585G16P)

The Empire City Bank was organized in 1851 and operated during a highly unstable phase of New York banking history, characterized by aggressive credit expansion and the absence of a central banking authority. In early December 1854 the bank failed to meet its Clearing House obligations and was suspended, with formal receivership following in February 1855. Proof material associated with the bank must therefore predate its suspension, firmly placing this note within the closing chapter of the bank’s active life. Read more →

United States 1838 - Olney, Alabama 25 Cents, 50 Cents, 1 Dollar Uncut Sheet Remainder

Each note bears a promise to pay George Washington or bearer in bills of the Bank of the State of Alabama, or its branches, once the aggregate amount of five dollars was presented. This conditional redemption structure reflects the widespread use of fractional and small denomination scrip during the late 1830s, when shortages of hard money and economic instability following the Panic of 1837 forced communities to rely on paper substitutes for everyday transactions. Read more →

Italy 1781 - Regie Finanze di Torino 5 Scudi Front Proof Sheet (Pick Unlisted)

This sheet contains two impressions of the five scudi front design produced from plates one and two and printed under full intaglio pressure on official paper stock. Plate identifiers are present within the design, confirming systematic plate-based production rather than decorative or commemorative printing. The impressions exhibit deep plate bite visible from the verso, consistent with working proof material. Read more →

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

The engraved design is concentrated in the upper portion of the sheet. A double denomination cartouche marked 100 appears near the upper border. Below it, the central device consists of a Savoyard cross within a wreath-like enclosure, engraved with dense linear detail and surrounded by scrollwork that integrates into the lower border. At the right, a stacked calligraphic authority block is fully engraved, reading Maestro Auditore, Maestro Auditore, Tesoriere generale, and Controllore della Tesoreria, aligned vertically within the frame. 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 sheet format preserves full margins and original plate context, confirming that the impression was never prepared for circulation or cutting. This front proof sheet records the finalized face design of the one hundred lire issue as prepared for state use while remaining a non-issued proof artifact. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1970 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Unissued Back Photographic Proof

The design presented here is organized around a symmetrical ornamental framework, with balanced cartouches and patterned fields arranged to stabilize the visual field and discourage counterfeiting. Line density, border weight, and spacing are carefully regulated, reflecting late twentieth century security printing standards in which photographic and photo-engraved proofs were employed to assess tonal contrast, line fidelity, and overall coherence before any final production decisions were made. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Issued Note (Pick 5e)

A key technical feature of this type is the turtle watermark, explicitly recorded on the PMG label. Watermark choices on small denomination notes in currency board systems were rarely arbitrary. They functioned as an easily testable authenticity marker for cash-handling environments while also serving as a national symbol suited to Cayman’s maritime identity. The combination of watermark, serial-prefix control, and De La Rue’s engraved framework reflects a mature security printing logic aimed at everyday circulation durability. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Issued Note (Pick 5d)

Certified PMG 68 Exceptional Paper Quality, this example represents the highest graded level recorded for this type, with no examples graded higher. The Top Pop designation is not incidental: it preserves the original sharpness of the engraved lines, exceptional paper surface integrity, and full design contrast on both faces. As such, this note stands as a reference-quality survivor of a common circulation issue, distinguished not by rarity but by technical preservation and its association with the Jefferson-signed printing phase of the Cayman Islands one dollar series. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Specimen with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp (Pick 5bs)

The obverse preserves the complete finalized production design of the issued one dollar note, including the engraved portrait of Queen Elizabeth the Second at right and the central denomination panel incorporating the Cayman Islands coat of arms. Beneath the central panel appears the engraved signature of A. Jefferson, serving as Chairman of the Cayman Islands Currency Board at the time this specimen was prepared, confirming that the reference note reflects the fully authorized legal form of the currency despite its permanent invalidation. Read more →

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

The defining feature of this specimen is a large dot-matrix perforation reading “SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE” applied across the face of the note. This perforation constitutes a permanent and irreversible invalidation method, distinct from inked overprints, oval control stamps, or punch cancellations used on other specimen formats. Perforated cancellation of this type was employed by De La Rue to ensure that fully authorized reference material could never be reintroduced into monetary circulation. Read more →