Collection PL

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 →

Poland 1928 - Bank Polski 20 Zlotych Archival Watermarked Paper (Miłczak 67)

The planned 20 Zlotych design was significant for Polish banknote history because steel engraving, or staloryt, was used for the first time in Polish banknote production. The portrait of Marynia Połaniecka, after the graphic work of Piotr Stachiewicz, was executed as the central artistic feature of the note. On this sheet, that portrait survives in watermark form, translated into the paper itself as a multitone security image positioned in the unprinted field of the planned banknote. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Specimen No. 017 with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp (Pick 6s)

On the obverse, Queen Elizabeth the Second’s portrait anchors the right side in dense intaglio linework, while the Cayman Islands coat of arms is integrated into the central denomination panel. Beneath the central panel appears the engraved signature of A. Jefferson as Chairman of the Cayman Islands Currency Board, linking this specimen to a specific administrative phase within the same 1974 series. 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)

What makes this example individually identifiable, and therefore non-interchangeable with parallel perforated specimens, is its archival handwriting. In the upper right margin the printer job notation reads “467/1–A1.” Along the lower margin the inscription reads “C.T. Wood 12.10.89 see notes on order form.” These are not decorative marks but internal De La Rue workflow identifiers, documenting filing and review status within the printer’s archival control system. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Specimen No. 010 with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp (Pick 6s)

The specimen state is defined by a layered De La Rue control protocol. A bold red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint spans the face, and two red oval control stamps reading “SPECIMEN / DE LA RUE / NO VALUE” are applied in the standard De La Rue format used for managed specimen material. A further physical safeguard appears as a single punch cancellation in the signature area, permanently voiding monetary function while leaving the engraved composition fully legible. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1970 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Unissued Back Photographic Proof

The Cayman Islands Currency Board operated under a disciplined currency board framework derived from British colonial monetary practice. Within this structure, reverse designs were not decorative afterthoughts but fully engineered security surfaces. The layout had to balance institutional clarity, denomination prominence, and complex engraved textures capable of resisting photographic or mechanical reproduction. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Issued Note (Pick 6a)

This issued five dollars note of the Cayman Islands Currency Board forms part of the 1974 design series authorized under the Cayman Islands Currency Law of 1974. The series represents the mature phase of the Currency Board system, where disciplined monetary backing was combined with high-grade security engraving executed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited. Read more →

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

Beneath the denomination panel appears the engraved signature of G. A. McCarthy, serving as Chairman of the Cayman Islands Currency Board during the 1996 revised series. The presence of McCarthy’s signature firmly situates this specimen within the later administrative phase of Cayman currency development and distinguishes it from earlier Johnson or Jefferson-signed issues. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 10 Dollars Specimen with Black Overprint & Oval Stamp (Pick 7s, Top Pop)

The specimen carries the all-zero serial format with prefix A/1 and internal control number 011, confirmed by the printed tracking panel “SPECIMEN No. 011” at the lower margin. This numbering structure belongs to De La Rue’s specimen accounting system and does not correspond to circulation sequencing. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 25 Dollars Specimen with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp (Pick 8s)

The specimen carries the all-zero serial format with prefix A/1 and internal control number 025, confirmed by the printed tracking panel “SPECIMEN No. 025” at the lower margin. This numbering structure belongs to De La Rue’s specimen accounting system and does not correspond to circulation sequencing. Read more →

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

At the lower margin, the printed tracking panel reads “SPECIMEN No. 001,” identifying this note as the first numbered specimen for the 1996 twenty five dollars denomination. The serial format follows the specimen convention with prefix B/1 and serial number 000000, which is separate from the printed specimen number and reserved exclusively for non-circulating reference material. Read more →