Collection PL

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 →

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

One of the most sophisticated corporate issues produced in northern Mexico during the Porfiriato modernization period, this fully issued and serialed 1 Peso note from La Fábrica de Tunal represents a hybrid monetary instrument that straddled formal banknote design and private scrip functionality. Unlike the majority of locally lithographed corporate payroll chits of the 1880s, this piece was engraved and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York—an extremely rare choice for a non-bank issuer and clear evidence of the company's scale and financial ambition. La Fábrica de Tunal operated in the rural industrial zone outside Durango city along the Tunal River, referenced repeatedly in contemporary mining, agricultural, and provincial reports. ... Read more →

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

A fully issued, hand-signed, and dated Mauritius Commercial Bank note — one of the earliest known examples of circulating paper money from the island. Dated 2 August 1842, this note bears manuscript signatures, serial numbers, and the characteristic oval CANCELLED stamps applied upon redemption. The engraving by Myers Frs. ... Read more →

Argentina 1884 — El Banco del Chaco 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro Serial 15849 (Pick S1566)

Issued provincial note from El Banco del Chaco, Villa Ocampo branch, dated 1 Octubre 1884, printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, under Argentina’s Ley de Bancos Garantidos system. Hand-signed, Series I, serial 15849. The allegorical female personifies Agriculture, flanked by a dog and bull symbolizing loyalty, vigilance, and strength. ... Read more →

Argentina 1884 — El Banco del Chaco 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro Serial 05056 (Pick S1566)

Partial issued note of El Banco del Chaco’s 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro, dated 1 Octubre 1884 and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, for the Villa Ocampo branch under the Ley de Bancos Garantidos provincial charter. The vignette centers on an allegory of Agriculture symbolizing prosperity and labor, flanked by a dog and bull for loyalty and strength—one of BWC’s finest small-format engravings for South America. Although the upper-right corner is missing, this early-serial piece (No. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1867 — Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Issued Note, Handwritten Right-Side Signature, Serial 55818 (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. This issue represents the foundational appearance of the Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado denomination and establishes the complete visual, symbolic, and technical template later reused for subsequent reauthorizations in the early 1870s. The obverse design follows the classic American Bank Note Company international style of the mid-nineteenth century. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1867 — Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Issued Note, Dual Handwritten Signatures at Left and Right, Serial 23286 (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. Although produced from the same engraved plates as the standard single-signature issue, this example documents a brief and highly unusual authorization phase in which two handwritten circulation signatures were applied to a single note. The obverse design is identical to the standard 1867 Banco Oriental issue, featuring allegorical female figures representing Commerce and Abundance at left, the national coat of arms at right, and a prominent central orange guilloche bearing the inscription “UN DOBLÓN DE ORO SELLADO.” This inscription emphasized gold convertibility and was central to public confidence in privately issued paper money during Uruguay’s mid-nineteenth-century monetary development. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1867 — Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Issued Note, Centered Handwritten Signature, Serial 35345 (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. Produced from the same engraved plates as the standard single-signature issue, this example documents a transitional authorization state following the brief dual-signature requirement implemented during the initial circulation period. The obverse design remains unchanged from the core 1867 issue, featuring allegorical female figures representing Commerce and Abundance at left, the national coat of arms at right, and a prominent central orange guilloche bearing the inscription “UN DOBLÓN DE ORO SELLADO.” The design emphasizes gold convertibility and reflects American Bank Note Company engraving standards developed for Latin American monetary contracts of the mid-nineteenth century. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1867 — Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Issued Note, Facsimile Signature at Right, Serial 74487 (Pick S385a)

Issued banknote of the Banco Oriental of Uruguay, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York. This example represents the final standardized production state of the Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado issue, marking the full transition from manual authorization to mechanically reproduced signatures. The obverse design remains consistent with all 1867 Banco Oriental Doblón notes, featuring allegorical female figures representing Commerce and Abundance at left, the national coat of arms at right, and a prominent central orange guilloche bearing the inscription “UN DOBLÓN DE ORO SELLADO.” This visual continuity underscores the reuse of the original engraved plates throughout all authorization phases of the issue. ... Read more →

Argentina 1866 — Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 1 Real Rosario Type A (Printed Signature) PS1731 · Bauman SFE 70

Early circulating bank vale issued by the Rosario branch of the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata, dated Rosario, 15 de Setiembre de 1866. The note promises payment at sight of one Real in Plata Boliviana, reflecting the silver standard widely used in regional trade across the Rio de la Plata basin and the interior provinces of Argentina during the mid-nineteenth century. The Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata, founded in London in 1862, represented one of the first large foreign banking institutions operating in the Southern Cone. ... Read more →

Argentina 1866 — Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 1 Real Rosario Type B (Hand-Signed) PS1731 · Bauman SFE 70

Issued fractional bank vale of the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata dated Rosario, 15 de Setiembre de 1866. The note promises payment at sight of one Real in Plata Boliviana and belongs to the earliest circulation phase of British-controlled private banking activity in Argentina. Founded in London in 1862, the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata rapidly became one of the most influential foreign financial institutions operating in the Rio de la Plata region. ... Read more →

Libya 1971 — Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37a, Without Arabic Inscription)

This note represents the earliest circulation variety of the Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars issue introduced in 1971, featuring the portrait of Omar al-Mukhtar and classified as Pick 37a. It was released into circulation without the Arabic legal inscription along the lower margin that would later be added to the series, marking this variety as the initial production state of the issued note. The omission of the Arabic inscription reflects the rapid transition from design approval to public release during the early years of Libya’s republican currency reform. ... Read more →