Search Results for "interwar period" - Collection

1927 Chahine and Sbath Cairo commercial draft endorsed by Banque d’Orient with violet boxed handstamp

Egypt 1927 - Chahine & Sbath Cairo Commercial Draft Endorsed by Banque d’Orient

The draft remains complete with full margins, intact engraved borders, and no trimming. Paper shows natural toning and light folds from office handling, but all signatures, stamps and inscriptions remain sharply legible. Banque d’Orient-endorsed drafts from the interwar period are uncommon, and examples carrying both French and Arabic commercial content from Levantine merchant houses such as Chahine & Sbath are highly desirable for the study of Egypt’s 1920s Mediterranean trading networks. Read more →

EgyptFinancial Document1927250 PiastresUncertified (VF, Clean Reverse Endorsement) EgyptFinancial DocumentChahine and SbathBanque d’OrientCommercial DraftCairo1927Greek Egyptian BankingLevantine MerchantsB. Arnaud PrinterAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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1935 Palestine and Egypt Lloyd Alexandria agency letterhead with maritime emblem

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 →

EgyptCommercial Document1935N/A (Shipping Agency Letterhead)Uncertified (VF, Complete, R6 Extremely Rare, Museum Grade) Commercial DocumentCommercial CorrespondenceCommercial Invoice HistoryIllustrated LetterheadAgency LetterheadForwarding and ClearingPassenger Transport AgentsShipping AgencyTransport LogisticsLevantine CommerceInterwar Maritime TradeMiddle Eastern Trade RoutesEastern Mediterranean NetworksMultinational Branch NetworksCommercial History EgyptColonial Era CommercePre WWII AdministrationMandate Era EconomyCosmopolitan CairoAlexandria Maritime HubPalestine and Egypt LloydJerusalem BranchTel Aviv BranchJaffa BranchHaifa BranchDamascus BranchAleppo BranchBaghdad BranchTeheran BranchEgyptCairo1935Museum GradeR6 Extremely Rare

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Poland 1940 Bank Emisyjny w Polsce 10 Złotych Prefix C approval specimen, Kraków issue, featuring Fryderyk Chopin portrait on the reverse

Poland 1940 - 10 Zlotych Bank Emisyjny w Polsce Prefix C Kraków Issue Approval Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The obverse follows established Polish banknote conventions developed during the late interwar period. Allegorical female figures, symmetrical composition, and restrained ornamentation reflect a conscious continuation of pre-1939 visual language. This continuity was intentional: for a denomination intended for frequent everyday use, recognizability and formal stability took precedence over stylistic innovation. Read more →

PolandApproval Specimen Without Overprints194010 ZłotychUncirculated (archival approval specimen) Approval SpecimenApproval Specimen Without OverprintsPrefix C10 ZlotychBank Emisyjny w PolsceKrakow IssueGeneral GovernmentOccupation Period CurrencyEngraved Security PrintingFryderyk ChopinReverse PortraitPolish Cultural IconographyWartime PolandMonetary AuthoritySecurity Printing HistoryPoland1940R7 Extremely RareMuseum Grade

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Macau 1937 Foo Hang Bank 10 patacas archival printer proof compound sheet with blue obverse obligation form on the left and red reverse vignette showing the Foo Hang Bank building on the right

Macau 1937 - Foo Hang Bank 10 Patacas Archival Printer Proof Compound Sheet (Pick S105)

Foo Hang Bank operated in Macau during a period when the territory functioned as a distinct monetary and commercial enclave within southern China. As a Portuguese-administered port with deep ties to regional trade networks, Macau maintained a semi-autonomous banking environment in which local institutions issued currency tailored to cross-border commerce, silver settlement, and regional circulation needs. Banknotes produced for Macau in the interwar period reflect this hybrid monetary reality, combining Chinese commercial practice with colonial administrative oversight. Read more →

MacauArchival Printer Proof193710 PatacasUnissued (Archival Printer Proof) Archival Printer ProofCompound Proof SheetUnissued Banknote MaterialObverse ProofReverse Proof10 PatacasFoo Hang BankMacau Banking HistoryColonial-Era FinancePre-Issue Approval MaterialSecurity Printing ProcessBanknote Design HistoryChinaMacau1937R9 Extremely RareUniqueMuseum GradePick S105

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Uruguay 1939 Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 pesos specimen Pick 41as, perforated cancellation

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Perforated Cancel, Series A–B (Pick 41as)

Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company of London, this perforated-cancel specimen documents one of the control mechanisms applied to Uruguay’s highest-denomination banknote during the late interwar period. It stands as material evidence of how the issuing bank and printer differentiated institutional reference material from circulating currency while maintaining full design fidelity and archival completeness. Read more →

UruguaySpecimen19391000 Pesos SpecimenPerforated CancelMechanical PerforationSeries A-BBanco de la Republica Oriental del UruguayHighest DenominationInterbank Settlement NoteState Banking ReferenceInstitutional SpecimenUruguay19391000 PesosPick 41asR8 Extremely RareMuseum Grade

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Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 pesos specimen Pick 41as with De La Rue CANCELLED stamp and Specimen No. 50

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, De La Rue Cancel Stamp, Serie A, Specimen No. 50 (Pick 41as)

Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company of London, this De La Rue-cancelled specimen documents one of the specific control mechanisms applied to Uruguay’s highest-denomination banknote during the late interwar period. It stands as material evidence of the administrative practices through which the issuing bank and printer differentiated institutional reference material from circulating currency while maintaining full design fidelity and archival completeness. Read more →

UruguaySpecimen19391000 PesosPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated SpecimenDe La Rue Cancel StampSerie ASpecimen No 50Uruguay1000 Pesos1939Pick 41asPMG 64Museum Grade

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Archival watermark paper prepared by Thomas De La Rue in London for the unissued 1928 Bank Polski 20 złotych banknote, featuring multitone watermark of Marynia Połaniecka after Piotr Stachiewicz, PMG certified 1921685-037, R9 Extremely Rare

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

Archival watermarked paper prepared by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited in London for the unissued Bank Polski 20 Zlotych banknote dated 2 January 1928. This piece preserves the original production substrate for the note: the security paper with multitone portrait watermark, before banknote printing. It is not a printed banknote, but a surviving archival component from one of the most important unrealized Polish banknote projects of the interwar period. Read more →

PolandArchival Watermarked Paper192820 ZlotychPMG Certified Archival PaperArchival Watermarked PaperWatermarked PaperWoman's Head WatermarkMarynia PołanieckaPiotr StachiewiczSteel EngravingStalorytUnissued DesignUnissued Banknote ProjectProduction SubstrateSecurity PaperThomas De La Rue and Company LimitedBank PolskiSecond Polish Republic CurrencyInterwar Polish BanknotesSecurity Printing HistoryMultitone WatermarkPortrait WatermarkLondon PrintingThomas De La Rue ArchivePolandPoland 1928192820 ZlotychMiłczak 67Museum GradeR9 Extremely Rare

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Uruguay 1939 Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 pesos specimen Pick 38as Serie A with red De La Rue oval CANCELLED stamp on obverse only and no reverse cancellation

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 Pesos Specimen, Red Oval De La Rue Cancel, Serie A (Pick 38as)

Within the structure of the 1939 emission, the fifty pesos denomination occupied an important intermediate tier of Uruguay’s monetary hierarchy. It bridged everyday commercial circulation and higher-level accounting functions, serving both retail and institutional purposes. Specimen examples of this value document the administrative and control procedures governing official reference material during the interwar period. Read more →

UruguaySpecimen193950 PesosPMG 55 About Uncirculated Specimen50 PesosRed Oval De La Rue Cancel StampSerie ASpecimen No 15All Zero Serial NumberNo Diagonal SPECIMEN OverprintNo Reverse CancelBanco de la Republica Oriental del UruguayDepartamento de EmisionInterwar Monetary SystemState Issued CurrencyInstitutional Reference NoteUruguay1939Pick 38asPMG 55 About UncirculatedMuseum Grade

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Australia 1929 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited - Circular Letter of Credit Photographic Proof (Mounted on Cardstock, PCGS 64 Very Choice New)

This photographic proof represents a Circular Letter of Credit issued by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited during the late interwar period, forming part of an international financial system that enabled secure cross-border access to funds. Unlike Letters of Introduction, which served primarily as identity credentials, the Letter of Credit functioned as a direct monetary instrument, allowing the holder to withdraw funds abroad through a structured and verifiable process. It stands as a precursor to modern traveler’s checks and early credit-based financial systems. Read more →

AustraliaPhotographic Proof Circular Letter of Credit1929Not Applicable (Letter of Credit)PCGS 64 Very Choice New Circular Letter of CreditLetter of Credit SystemEarly Credit InstrumentPre Travelers CheckInternational Banking DocumentCredit Withdrawal InstrumentFinancial Draft DocumentGlobal Credit AccessPhotographic ProofMounted on CardstockArchival ProofPre engraving production stageSecurity PrintingGuilloche DesignCentral RosettePortrait VignetteCommercial Banking Company of Sydney LimitedLondon Security PrintingCorrespondent Banking NetworkInternational Credit SystemGlobal Financial InfrastructureInterwar FinanceHistoryAustralia1929PCGS 64Very Choice NewMuseum Grade

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Poland 1937 Free City of Gdańsk Bank of Danzig 20 Gulden architectural vignette engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson used on Pick 63 banknote

Poland 1937 - Free City of Gdańsk Bank of Danzig 20 Gulden Architectural Vignette Bradbury Wilkinson and Company

This architectural vignette reflects that design philosophy, embedding a representation of civic infrastructure directly into the currency. Such imagery reinforced the authority and credibility of the issuing institution during a period when trust in paper money depended heavily on both visual symbolism and printing quality. Read more →

PolandVignette1937Not ApplicablePCGS 64 Very Choice New VignetteArchitectural VignetteDie ProofEngraving ProofIntaglio EngravingBradbury Wilkinson and CompanyNew Malden SurreySecurity PrintingBanknote ProductionDesign ElementBank of DanzigFree City of Gdańsk20 GuldenPick 63Linked to Banknote IssueCompanion PiecePolandGdańskInterwar PeriodGdańsk Monetary SystemLeague of Nations EraHistoryPoland1937UnlistedPCGS 64RareMuseum Grade

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Great Britain 1922 Thomas Cook and Son 5 Pounds Travellers Cheque specimen printed in brown with red specimen and cancellation markings, portrait vignette, large denomination devices, and reverse payment text for Thomas Cook and Son Bankers Limited.

Great Britain 1922 - Thomas Cook and Son 5 Pounds Travellers Cheque Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Specimen of the 5 Pounds Travellers Cheque prepared for Thomas Cook and Son during the early 1920s, representing the finished specimen-stage form of one of the most recognizable private travel-payment instruments of the interwar period. Printed in a rich brown security design and marked with red specimen and cancellation wording, this cheque preserves the operational format used by Thomas Cook and Son for secure international travel finance after the First World War. Read more →

Great BritainSpecimen19225 PoundsUncirculated SpecimenTravellers ChequeTravelers Check5 PoundsPrivate IssueSpecimen CancelledPrinted ReverseSignature Verification InstrumentThomas Cook and SonThomas Cook and Son Bankers LimitedInternational Travel FinancePrivate Payment InstrumentsEarly Travellers Cheque SystemEarly Travelers Check SystemSecurity PrintingSpecimen Presentation FormProof and Specimen PairGlobal Payment SystemsGreat BritainGreat Britain 19221922Pick UnlistedR9 Extremely RareDiscovery-Level SpecimenMuseum Grade

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