Search Results for "history" - Collection

Mauritius 1839 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 20 Dollars / 4 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled Note (Pick S125)

One of the earliest surviving issued notes of the Mauritius Commercial Bank-the oldest banking institution in the Indian Ocean-this 1839 Twenty Dollar / Four Pounds Sterling note is a foundational artifact of Mauritian monetary history. Issued only one year after the bank’s founding in 1838, it belongs to the first generation of fully functional colonial paper money used on the island. These early issues circulated at a time when coin shortages were severe, and private banknotes became the primary medium of exchange for merchants, plantation owners, and shipping houses. Read more →

MauritiusIssued & Cancelled Note183920 Dollars / 4 Pounds SterlingFine–Very Fine (Issued & Cancelled) Issued NoteCancelled20 Dollars4 PoundsColonial CurrencyDual-CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance19th Century BanknotesRedemption and Cancellation NotesMauritiusPort Louis1839Museum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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New Zealand 1870–1890 Bank of New Zealand 1 Pound Green Specimen Pick S191s, dual serial numbers A197001 and B047000, perforated CANCELLED, Bradbury Wilkinson printing, PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated

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

Surviving specimens of the S191s type are extremely scarce. Most were removed during archival reductions or lost during the transition from private-bank to centralized currency issuance. As the earliest and foundational specimen of New Zealand’s engraved banknote history, this one pound green stands as the origin point of the BNZ color lineage and a cornerstone reference within the broader narrative of colonial-era currency development. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen18701 PoundPMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated Specimen1 PoundBank of New ZealandBradbury WilkinsonBWCDual Serial NumbersA197001B047000Perforated CANCELLEDAudit MarginPrinter Control SystemColonial IssueVictorian DesignMāori Portrait SeriesEngraved Security PrintingNew Zealand Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankBNZ Color LineageColor Lineage Origin19th Century OceaniaMaritime Economy NotesEarly Indigenous ImageryBritish Colonial FinanceHistoryNew Zealand187018901870–1890Pick S191sPMG 58Choice About UncirculatedMuseum GradeR7 Extremely Rare

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New Zealand 1895–1915 Bank of New Zealand 5 Pounds Orange Specimen Pick S192s with dual serial numbers A000001 and A020000, perforated CANCELLED marking, left audit margin, and dated top margin printer annotations, printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Company, Limited, London, PMG 55 About Uncirculated.

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

As a specimen combining dual control serials, perforated cancellation, retained audit margin, and original printer annotations, this example provides a comprehensive record of Bradbury Wilkinson’s production and verification methodology during the late colonial period. It stands not only as a high-denomination note but as a working document of the printing process itself, preserving layers of operational history rarely visible in surviving material. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen18955 PoundsPMG 55 About Uncirculated Specimen5 PoundsBank of New ZealandBradbury WilkinsonBWCA Prefix SpecimenA000001A020000Dual Serial NumbersPrinter Control NumberingPerforated CANCELLEDAudit Margin LeftPrinter AnnotationsTop Margin AnnotationDated Annotation 1915Printer Ledger MarkingsColonial IssueHigh DenominationEdwardian DesignMāori Portrait SeriesEngraved Security PrintingNew Zealand Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankBNZ Color LineageVictorian to Edwardian TransitionMaritime Economy NotesBritish Colonial FinanceSecurity Printing HistoryOceania NumismaticsHistoryNew Zealand189519151895-1915Pick S192sPMG 55Museum GradeR7 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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New Zealand 1905–1916 Bank of New Zealand £1 Red Pick S212bs, serial prefix G000001–G100000, perforated CANCELLED, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., PMG 55 AU

New Zealand 1905–1916 - Bank of New Zealand £1 Red Cancelled Specimen with Serial Number Prefix G000001–G100000 (Pick S212bs)

The red duty tint completes the established chromatic hierarchy of BNZ private issues produced by Bradbury Wilkinson: Green (£1), Orange (£5), Brown (£10), Red (£1 redesign), and the terminal high denomination of the series - the Blue £20. Within this structure, the £1 Red represents the final low-denomination iteration, while the £20 Blue stands as the archival apex of the entire BNZ private-issue hierarchy. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen with Serial Number Prefix19051 PoundPMG 55 About Uncirculated Specimen1 PoundRedBNZ Color LineageSerial-Prefix VarietyCancelledBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S212bsBank of New ZealandPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankWartime ProductionPrefix Block SequenceMāori Portrait SeriesSecurity Printing HistoryNew Zealand190519161905–1916PMG 55Museum GradeR8 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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New Zealand 1905–1916 Bank of New Zealand £1 Red Pick S212bs, serial prefix G100001–G300000, perforated CANCELLED, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.

New Zealand 1905–1916 - Bank of New Zealand £1 Red Cancelled Specimen with Serial Number Prefix G100001–G300000 (Pick S212bs)

The red duty tint marks the final chromatic stage of the BNZ private-issue lineage. With extremely limited survival and no institutional duplicates known, this mid-block specimen is properly classified as R8 Extremely Rare. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen with Serial Number Prefix19051 PoundRaw (Serial-numbered Specimen, cancelled) Specimen1 PoundRedBNZ Color LineageSerial-Prefix VarietyCancelledBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S212bsBank of New ZealandPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankWartime ProductionPrefix Block SequenceMāori Portrait SeriesSecurity Printing HistoryNew Zealand190519161905–1916Museum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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New Zealand 1905–1916 Bank of New Zealand £1 Red Pick S212bs, serial prefix E300001–E400000, perforated SPECIMEN, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.

New Zealand 1905–1916 - Bank of New Zealand £1 Red Cancelled Specimen with Serial Number Prefix E300001–E400000 (Pick S212bs)

The E-prefix rollover marks a distinct late-WWI production phase involving plate recalibration and alphabetic reset within Bradbury Wilkinson’s numbering system. These terminal specimens were produced in very small quantities and almost entirely destroyed during later archival reduction. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen with Serial Number Prefix19051 PoundRaw (Serial-numbered Specimen, wide selvage) Specimen1 PoundRedBNZ Color LineageSerial-Prefix VarietyE-prefixBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S212bsBank of New ZealandPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankWartime ProductionPrefix Block SequenceMāori Portrait SeriesSecurity Printing HistoryNew Zealand190519161905–1916Museum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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Mexico 1884 Fabrica de Tunal 1 Peso ABNC PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated serial A07769

Mexico 1884 – Fábrica de Tunal 1 Peso (Pick Unlisted, ABNC)

Pick Unlisted (M717a) status reflects the Standard Catalog’s omission of non-bank corporate emissions. For researchers, this type is an anchor reference for studying the quasi-monetary ecosystems that formed around industrial enterprises in Durango during the Porfiriato. These ecosystems represent one of the least-documented yet most economically influential layers of Mexican monetary history-private institutions acting as de facto local banks in areas underserved by formal financial networks. Read more →

MexicoIssued Note18841 PesoPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated Private Issue1 PesoABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyCorporate CurrencyIndustrial ScripEngraved Security PrintingPorfiriatoIndustrial FinanceMining Region CurrencyMexican Private BanknotesSilver StandardDurango Monetary HistoryRegional CirculationPayroll InstrumentsLatin American EngravingABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyPick UnlistedMexicoDurango1884PMG 64Museum GradeR7 Extremely Rare

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Mauritius 1842 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled (Pick S122a)

This 1842 note represents the second evolutionary stage in the island’s early paper-money system. After the Mauritius Commercial Bank was founded in 1838, the island faced acute shortages of hard coin, forcing banks to issue promissory paper redeemable in sterling. The initial 1839 notes displayed a single-currency format with only textual sterling equivalence; by 1841–1842, the bank introduced dual-face printing with an engraved red sterling panel to simplify conversion between local dollars and British pounds. Read more →

MauritiusIssued & Cancelled Note184210 Dollars / 2 Pounds SterlingFine–Very Fine (Issued & Cancelled) Issued NoteCancelled10 Dollars2 PoundsDual-CurrencyColonial CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance19th Century BanknotesRedemption and Cancellation NotesMauritiusPort Louis1842Museum GradeR6 Extremely Rare

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Mauritius 1843 Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Remainder, PMG 50 NET

Mauritius 1843 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Remainder (Pick S122r)

By 1843, the design had fully adopted the red reverse overprint 'TWO POUNDS STERLING', creating a clear dual-currency layout that paired locally reckoned dollars with their pound-sterling equivalent for imperial accounting. Earlier designs - such as the 1839 Twenty Dollars note - had printed the sterling value only on the front in black. The adoption of the red reverse panel marked the formal consolidation of Mauritius’s dual-currency monetary system as used throughout the 1840s. Read more →

MauritiusRemainder184310 Dollars / 2 Pounds SterlingPMG 50 NET (Ink Burn) Remainder10 Dollars2 PoundsDual-CurrencyColonial CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingInk BurnMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance1840s Currency Reform19th Century BanknotesMauritiusPort Louis1843PMG 50Museum GradeR6 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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Argentina 1881 Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires 2 Pesos Oro Proof, PMG 64 Top Pop

Argentina 1881 - Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires 2 Pesos Oro Proof (Pick S536fp)

Printed directly from ABNC master plates in black ink on thin India paper and mounted on card stock, this piece confirms its pre-issue proof status. Such proofs were prepared as part of the approval process before full production, allowing the bank to review design and engraving quality. The absence of serial numbers and signatures reflects its archival purpose rather than circulation intent. Read more →

ArgentinaProof18812 Pesos OroPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated (Top Pop) Proof2 Pesos OroArchivalTop PopEngraved Security PrintingBanco de la Provincia de Buenos AiresArgentine Provincial Banks19th Century BankingPesos Oro SeriesABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyLatin American NumismaticsPre-National ConsolidationProvincial Monetary HistoryArgentinaBuenos Aires18811883PMG 64Museum GradeR9 Extremely Rare

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New Zealand 1924–1925 Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings Front Proof Pick S231p1 with SPECIMEN perforation, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.

New Zealand 1924–1925 - Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings Front Proof with SPECIMEN Perforation (Pick S231p1)

Archival proofs like this survive only because Bradbury Wilkinson preserved reference sets for internal documentation. When BWC’s archives were dispersed in the late 20th century, just a handful of front proofs from this series reached collectors. With PMG 63 Top Pop status, this example is the finest-known surviving representation of the BNZ’s last major design update-a foundational artifact in the story of New Zealand’s path from provincial commercial banking to a unified national monetary identity. Read more →

New ZealandFront Proof192410 ShillingsPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Top Pop, Front Proof with SPECIMEN Perforation) Front Proof10 ShillingsSpecimen PerforationIntaglioBradbury WilkinsonBWCTamati Waka NeneBank of New ZealandNew Zealand Banking HistoryPre-Reserve BankPrivate Banknote EraInterwar Currency DesignEngraved Security PrintingLate Edwardian PlateworkTint-Stone UnderprintMāori Portrait SeriesNew Zealand192419251924–1925PMG 63Top PopMuseum GradeR8 Extremely Rare

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Argentina 1867 Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 4 Reales Plata Boliviana proof, PCGS 63

Argentina 1867 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 4 Reales Plata Boliviana Proof (Pick S1734p)

The design features a central bull’s head vignette framed by intricate ornamental borders - a unique choice among Argentine banknotes. The bull ('toro') represented strength, prosperity, and the livestock wealth that drove Argentina’s early export economy. Its use on this note reflects both local identity and the bank’s confidence in the agrarian growth of the interior provinces. Read more →

ArgentinaProof18674 RealesPCGS 63 Choice New Pick S1734p4 RealesProofABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyBanco de Londres y Rio de la PlataRosarioBritish-Argentine BankingEngraved Security PrintingMoneda Boliviana StandardPre-Decimal ArgentinaTransitional CurrencyLivestock EconomyCattle Trade SymbolismProvincial Banking19th Century ArgentinaFrontier Monetary HistoryArgentina1867Choice NewMuseum GradeR7 Extremely Rare

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