Collection PL

Australia 1877 - Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company Portrait of Woman for City of Melbourne Bank Limited 20 Pounds Design Intaglio Vignette (Pick Unlisted)

This engraved Portrait of Woman intaglio vignette was produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, and is directly connected to the City of Melbourne Bank Limited 20 Pounds specimen of 1877, where the same portrait appears as the principal vignette within the large ornamental panel at left. The proof preserves that portrait as a stand-alone engraved component before its integration into the complete banknote design. Read more →

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

Produced in classic 19th-century proof format, the note displays wide margins, crisp engraving lines, and lacks signatures or serial numbers, confirming its archival status rather than an issued example. Such proofs were retained by the printer or provided to the client bank for approval before mass production. The craftsmanship demonstrates the influence of the American Bank Note Company’s New York studio, which was instrumental in introducing advanced intaglio printing and anti-counterfeiting design to South America. Read more →

Bolivia 1903 - Banco Agricola 5 Bolivianos Front Progressive Proof and Back Proof Pair (Pick S102pp1, S102p2)

The front is especially important because it documents an intermediate stage of the printing process. The main engraved framework, denomination panels, institutional lettering, border work, and principal vignettes are already present, while the design still shows the layered character of progressive proofing. Three large red CANCELLED overprints are applied across the face, marking the piece as controlled non-issue production material and forming one of the most visually distinctive features of the proof. Read more →

Poland 1936 - 50 Zlotych Reverse Progressive Proof (Pick 78pp2)

At this stage of production, only the reverse imagery was printed, using the offset process in pale orange and light-green tones - the same colors later used for the final issue. The PWPW’s documentation and surviving trial sheets show that each printing form measured roughly 557 × 515 mm and contained twelve notes arranged in three rows of four. Serial numbers were impressed before intaglio printing, a practice unique to PWPW at the time, ensuring registration precision. Proofs like this one were pulled to inspect ink density, alignment, and tonal layering prior to the application of engraving and security features. Read more →

Paraguay 1907 - Banco de la República 100 Pesos Issued Note (Pick 159)

The design is a strong example of Waterlow & Sons security engraving for South America in the early twentieth century. The face combines a yellow-green tint field with dense black intaglio work, broad ornamental side panels, large corner denomination tablets, and a central architectural vignette of the Banco de la República building. The engraved promise-to-pay wording, red serial number, Series A panel, and formal signature arrangement give the note a deeply institutional character. The reverse, built around elaborate guilloché rosettes, large denomination panels, and the national emblem, displays the same technical precision and decorative density that made Waterlow issues widely respected across Latin America. Read more →

Brazil 2010 - Banco Central 5 Reais (Pick 253d)

The Segunda Família do Real combined traditional intaglio printing with offset background tints, embedded threads, and microprinting-technologies representing Brazil’s domestic mastery of high-security production after decades of reliance on foreign printers. The updated layout also reaffirmed national symbolism through consistent use of the Republica allegory, balancing continuity with innovation. Read more →

Brazil 1963 - Tesouro Nacional 10 Cruzeiros Issuede Note (Pick 167b)

Each note bears the inscription ESTAMPA 1A and serials specific to the 796A series, here numbered 074019. ABNC’s intaglio printing delivers crisp linework, micro-lathe engraving, and a subtle two-tone palette that became a hallmark of mid-century Brazilian design. The denomination’s typography and border symmetry demonstrate the fusion of European neoclassical balance with Latin American flourish. Read more →

Ireland - Northern 2005 - Northern Bank £50 Issued Note NR131 (Pick 208)

Issued on 11 January 2005, the note restored public confidence and re-established Northern Bank’s reputation. Its features include raised intaglio printing, microtext, color-shifting ink on the denomination, and latent imagery derived from the bank’s industrial heritage-Davidson’s portrait at right and his Sirocco Works turbine machinery at left. The purple and copper palette intentionally departed from the 2004 issue to ensure visual distinction. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 Pesos Serie C Specimen, Specimen No. 9 (Pick 38bs)

The obverse is organized beneath the commanding title REPUBLICA ORIENTAL DEL URUGUAY, with CINCUENTA PESOS integrated into the lower central portion of the design. The composition is constructed from elaborate geometric security engraving, ornamental borders, repeated denomination devices, and carefully balanced fields of blue and brown printing. The large oval at left accommodates the watermark of Jose Gervasio Artigas, incorporating Uruguay's principal national figure into the physical structure of the paper. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 (1967 Authorization) - Banco Central del Uruguay 50 Pesos Serie D Specimen, Specimen No. 2 (Pick 42As)

This continuity allowed a well-established security design to remain in use while the legal and administrative authority behind the currency changed. The specimen therefore records more than a later printing of an older type. It documents the transfer of monetary responsibility from the former issuing framework to the Banco Central del Uruguay and the practical reuse of proven Thomas De La Rue plate work during that institutional transition. Read more →

Poland 1988 - 50 Zlotych Prefix HK Issued Note (Pick 142c)

Production of the note involved multiple printing stages typical of late twentieth-century security printing at PWPW. A multicolor offset background established the geometric security pattern across the note, followed by intaglio engraving for the portrait and denomination elements. Serial numbers were applied in red ink in a later pass, while the final typographic stage added the date and the printed signatures of the issuing officials. Read more →

United States 1929 – American Bank Note Company Test Note, 10 Units, Green Series of 1929 With Watermark and Segmented Foil Security Thread

The green intaglio printing on high-grade security paper features both a watermark and a segmented metallic foil thread-features that illustrate ABNCo’s transitional work between traditional intaglio techniques and the emerging security standards of modern polymer and thread-based paper. Despite the absence of a true monetary denomination, these '10 Unit' designs allowed clients and government agencies to evaluate printing quality, tactile texture, and security options. Read more →