Collection PL

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos CANELONES Branch Overprint Serial H092503 (Pick A88c)

This 20 Centesimos note was issued by the Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay under the monetary framework dated 25 de Agosto de 1887 and printed in London by Waterlow and Sons. The base note corresponds to the mechanically signed production phase classified as Pick A88c. It bears an additional red CANELONES branch overprint applied after central issuance. Read more →

Uruguay 1870 - Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 Centesimos, Junta de Credito Publico (“Cow Head”) Serial 274594 (Pick A109b)

Issued by the Junta de Credito Publico under the Ley de 4 de Mayo de 1870, this 50 Centesimos note represents one of Uruguay’s earliest government-backed paper currencies. Locally printed in Montevideo by Litografía G. Mas & Cía., the design belongs to the same inaugural emission as the 1 Peso 'Mercury' note. Known to collectors as the 'Cow Head' type, its left vignette features a finely detailed depiction of Uruguay’s cattle, symbolizing the nation’s livestock wealth and agrarian economy. Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 5000 Denari Photographic Transparency Essay (Maenad Vignette)

Within the documented production sequence of the denomination, this photographic transparency represents the earliest surviving stage of the banknote’s creation. Later phases include printer specimens carrying specimen overprints and control markings, followed by the fully issued circulation notes produced for the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia. Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 5000 Denari Specimen Maenad EA0000000 No. 006 (Pick 19s)

At the center of the design appears the Maenad figure, derived from a classical bronze sculpture discovered at the archaeological site of Heraclea Lyncestis. The dancer’s dynamic posture symbolizes movement and vitality and became the defining icon of the denomination. The same Maenad motif is incorporated into the watermark of issued notes, linking the artistic centerpiece of the design with one of the banknote’s primary security devices. Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 5000 Denari Issued Note EA5464675 Maened (Pick 19a)

The 5000 Denari note issued in 1996 forms part of the first complete banknote series of the Republic of Macedonia following independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Introduced by the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia as part of the country’s early monetary stabilization program, the series marked the establishment of a distinct national currency identity separate from the Yugoslav dinar system. Production of the notes was contracted to Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited in London, one of the world’s leading security printers, whose technical standards shaped the visual and structural character of the entire issue. Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 500 Denari Vignette Die Proof (Golden Death Mask)

This engraved vignette die proof preserves the Golden Mask motif prepared for the 500 Denari denomination of the Republic of Macedonia’s first post-independence banknote series issued in 1996. Produced by Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited in London, the proof represents one of the earliest physical stages in the creation of the banknote’s final design. Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 500 Denari Specimen Golden Death Mask GA0000000 No. 006 (Pick 17s)

This official De La Rue printer specimen records the finalized design of the 500 Denari denomination from the Republic of Macedonia’s inaugural post-independence banknote series issued in 1996. Prepared for internal verification and institutional reference, the specimen preserves the complete production artwork while being permanently invalidated for monetary use. Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 500 Denari Issued Note GB2531560 Golden Death Mask (Pick 17a)

The 500 Denari banknote issued in 1996 forms part of the first modern currency series of the Republic of Macedonia following independence in 1991. Introduced by the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia as part of the country’s early monetary stabilization program, the series established the visual identity and security standards of the newly independent state’s paper currency. Production was entrusted to Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited in London, whose security printing expertise shaped both the artistic and technical structure of the notes. Read more →

North Macedonia 2003 - 500 Denari Issued Note DA8148021 Golden Death Mask (Pick 21a)

Within the broader development history of the denomination, the 2003 issue demonstrates the continuity of the design established in the inaugural 1996 series. Earlier production stages documented for the denomination include engraving die proofs and De La Rue printer specimens prepared during the original design program. The 2003 printing preserves the same iconographic structure while representing a later circulation phase of the banknote. Read more →

New South Wales 1865 - Embossed 'ONE HALF PERCENT' Stamp Duty Fiscal Proof Specimen

Because these proofs were working approval materials rather than issued fiscal documents, most examples were destroyed after printing commenced. Surviving sheets that retain the printer’s blue framing guides and 'Specimen' designation provide rare documentation of the early stages of colonial security printing. As such, this piece represents a direct witness to the administrative and technical foundations of fiscal printing in nineteenth-century Australia. Read more →

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. Read more →

Mexico 1915 - Ayuntamiento de Zitácuaro 10 Centavos Uncut Sheet of Four M2952c (Pick Unlisted)

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. Read more →