Collection PL

United States 1830s — Pennsylvania, Philadelphia — Penn Township Savings Institution 10 Cents Proof (Unlisted)

This engraved proof note was prepared for the Penn Township Savings Institution of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the early 1830s. Rather than serving as circulating currency, the document represents a fractional savings deposit certificate issued by one of the many mutual savings institutions that emerged in American cities during the early nineteenth century. The text of the instrument reveals its purpose: a depositor places ten cents with the institution, which promises repayment with interest at two percent per annum, or redemption on demand once the accumulated balance reaches five dollars in current bank notes. ... Read more →

Mexico 1915 — Ayuntamiento de Zitácuaro 10 Centavos (Uncut Sheet of Four, M2952c)

This uncut vertical sheet of four 10 Centavos notes was issued by the Ayuntamiento (municipal council) of Zitácuaro in the state of Michoacán during the Mexican Revolution. Catalogued as M2952c, the issue belongs to the wave of emergency municipal currencies produced throughout Mexico between 1914 and 1916 when the collapse of the national monetary system created an acute shortage of small change. During the revolutionary conflict, the circulation of federal coinage and banknotes was severely disrupted. ... Read more →

Poland 1988 — 50 Złotych Prefix HK Missing Signatures Date Print Error Issued Note (Pick 142c)

Issued 50 Złotych banknote of the Narodowy Bank Polski dated 1 December 1988 displaying a major typographic omission error. The entire printed layer containing the line 'WARSZAWA, 1 GRUDNIA 1988' together with the signatures of the issuing officials (Prezes and Główny Skarbnik) is completely absent. The national eagle emblem printed in the central guilloche remains intact, demonstrating that only the upper black typographic layer failed to transfer during printing. ... Read more →

Poland 1988 — 50 Złotych Prefix HK Issued Note (Pick 142c)

The 50 Złotych banknote dated 'Warszawa, 1 Grudnia 1988' represents one of the final circulating issues of the Polish People's Republic before the monetary and political transformations of the early 1990s. Printed by Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych in Warsaw for the Narodowy Bank Polski, the denomination formed part of the 1986–1988 modernization of the circulating banknote series. The obverse presents the portrait of General Karol Świerczewski, a military figure associated with the communist period of Polish history. ... Read more →

Canada 1896 — Bank of Nova Scotia 20 Dollars Front and Back Proofs (Pick Unlisted)

Matched front and back proof pair of the 20 Dollars banknote issued by The Bank of Nova Scotia of Halifax, Nova Scotia, dated 22 July 1896. Engraved and printed by the American Bank Note Company of New York, the pair documents the approval stage of one of the most elaborate chartered banknote designs produced in Canada during the late nineteenth century. The front proof is printed in black and white, the standard format used for die and plate approval. ... Read more →

Fiji 1942 — 1 Pound Government of Fiji Overprint on New Zealand £1 (Pick 45c)

This one pound note issued for Fiji in 1942 was created by overprinting an existing Reserve Bank of New Zealand £1 note originally dated 1 August 1934. The base note was printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company in London for circulation in New Zealand, but during the Second World War it was adapted for emergency use within the British colony of Fiji. In early 1942 Japanese military expansion across the Pacific severely disrupted supply lines throughout the British colonial network. ... Read more →

Honduras 1863 — 5 Pesos Treasury Bond Vale de Hacienda República Libre, Soberano e Independiente (Pick 7)

This 5 Pesos vale de hacienda was issued by the Republic of Honduras under the decree of 2 March 1863 and represents one of the earliest surviving treasury obligations of the Honduran republic. During the mid-nineteenth century Honduras lacked a formal banking system and frequently relied on treasury vales such as this to finance government operations and supplement the limited supply of metallic currency. The document prominently displays the national seal of the 'República de Honduras Libre, Soberano e Independiente', featuring the triangular emblem with radiant sun and landscape motif adopted after independence. ... Read more →

Greenland 1856 — 6 Skilling R.M. Danish Administration Colonial Remainder (Pick A33r)

Unissued 6 Skilling Rigsmoent note prepared for the Danish colonial administration in Greenland, dated 1856 and printed in Copenhagen under royal contract. Catalogued as Pick A33r, this is a remainder issue, never signed or released for circulation. It belongs to the earliest organized currency system of Greenland, a period when the island's economy operated almost entirely through the Royal Greenland Trading Department. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 — 50 Zlotych Serial HC7367738 PMG 70 EPQ Star, Top Pop (Pick 175a)

Definitive circulation note of the 1994 issue (ND 1995) depicting King Kazimierz III Wielki. Catalogued as Pick 175a and CM#198a‑b, this type inaugurated the modern post‑redenomination design language for Narodowy Bank Polski, with intricate guilloches, latent images, microtext, and a crowned‑eagle watermark derived from the state arms. This certified example is graded PMG 70 EPQ ★, the highest grade assigned for the type and a Top Pop. ... Read more →

France 1793 — Domaines Nationaux Assignat 10 Sous Block 305, Watermark RF/Xs (Pick A68b)

Small‑change assignat issued by the Revolutionary government for the sale and administration of the 'Domaines Nationaux'—property confiscated from the Crown, Church and émigrés. These fractional notes functioned as day‑to‑day money during the inflationary years of the Revolution. The face shows the typographic layout introduced for the small denominations: a classical frame with civic emblems and the famous border mottos 'LA LOI PUNIT DE MORT LE CONTREFACTEUR' and 'LA NATION RÉCOMPENSE LE DÉNONCIATEUR'. ... Read more →

Scotland 1959 — National Commercial Bank of Scotland Limited £1 (Pick 265, Bradbury Wilkinson, PMG 58 EPQ Choice About Uncirculated)

One Pound of the National Commercial Bank of Scotland Limited dated 16 September 1959. Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company, the note carries the Head of Caledonia watermark and presents a panoramic view of the Forth Bridge—Scotland's engineering icon—beneath the central promise text. The National Commercial Bank was a pillar of Scottish banking until its merger with the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1969. ... Read more →

Scotland 1956–64 — The Royal Bank of Scotland £1 (Pick 324b, With Engraver's Name on Back, PMG 64 EPQ Choice Uncirculated)

Royal Bank of Scotland One Pound of the 1956–64 series, variety with the engraver's imprint on back as cited by PMG. The face carries the bank's crowned arms and the long‑standing central medallion portrait associated with the institution since the eighteenth century, surrounded by a dense field of micro‑lettered Royal Bank of Scotland repeats. Production credit on this type appears as W and A K Johnston and G W Bacon Ltd Edinburgh, reflecting Scottish engraving traditions as late as the mid‑twentieth century before most issuers shifted to London firms. ... Read more →