Collection PL

1875 - 5 Shillings Victoria Consular Revenue Tied Diplomatic Document (British Consulate, Alexandria)

High-value British consular certificate issued at Her Britannic Majesty’s Consulate in Alexandria on 9 September 1875, bearing the scarce 5 Shillings Queen Victoria Consular Service revenue stamp. The document certifies a civil status event and is fully executed with period manuscript, the embossed consular arms, and the oval BRITISH CONSULATE ALEXANDRIA datestamp tying the fiscal adhesive to the sheet. Read more →

Egypt 1930 - Greece Ministry of Foreign Affairs Handwritten Arabic Consular Testimonial (Cairo Consulate)

Original handwritten Arabic testimonial issued by the Consulate of the Kingdom of Greece in Cairo in 1930, executed entirely in period Arabic manuscript-an exceptionally rare linguistic and administrative crossover. European consulates in Egypt almost never issued documents in Arabic; Greek consular paperwork of this era was typically prepared in Greek or French, making this Arabic-language issuance a near-unique example of cross-cultural legal administration. Read more →

Egypt 1914–1915 - Egyptian Red Crescent Society (Khedivial Era Membership Receipts, Two-Document Set)

Pair of original Egyptian Red Crescent Society membership receipts from 1914 and 1915, both issued on cream wove paper and printed with the early Khedivial-era layout. Each sheet carries the large red Crescent emblem at top center, rendered in thick oil-based ink with slight unevenness at the edges typical of hand-inked early Red Crescent forms. Beneath the emblem appears the full institutional title in classical Arabic script, followed by the patronage line noting the protection of the Khedivial household and the presidency of His Highness Prince Mohamed Ali. The text block is printed in fine black letterpress with the characteristic spacing and font weight used by the Society’s pre-war printing office. Read more →

Egypt 1931 - Singer Sewing Machine Co. Booklet with Tied Singer Revenues

Original 1931 Singer Sewing Machine Company service and instalment booklet issued in Cairo, printed on tan card stock with the standard Singer Manufacturing Company masthead, including the New York parent company reference at top. The front cover shows the booklet form number 'Form. 60/c. (30000 - 2.31)' and a small Singer Sewing Machines trade-mark medallion at upper left. Branch name and contract number are filled in in large manuscript ink, along with the hirers’ names recorded in flowing early-20th-century Arabic and English script. The cover also includes the standard five-point printed conditions governing instalment payments, usage of collectors' receipts, and return of the machine upon default. Read more →

Egypt 1911 - The Odeon Hall, Cairo Gold Watch Repair Invoice

Early 1911 invoice from The Odeon Hall in Cairo, one of the city’s most modern pre-war establishments combining gramophone sales, watchmaking, and luxury retail. Issued for the repair of a gold watch, the bilingual French–Arabic letterhead advertises phonographs, records, and precision horological services, reflecting Egypt’s rapid adoption of European technology and leisure culture. Read more →

Russia 1920 - Armed Forces of South Russia 100,000 Rubles Treasury Bill (November Issue, Pick S431c)

Six-percent short-term Treasury bill for 100,000 rubles issued by the Government Treasury of the Armed Forces of South Russia during the final phase of the Russian Civil War. This is the November 15, 1920 payable issue (Pick S431c), printed after General Pyotr Wrangel transferred the White administration to Crimea. The note follows the classical Imperial layout: bilingual Russian–French legends, the double-headed eagle in an ornate oval cartouche at left, and a formal typographic bond structure intended to signal continuity with pre-1917 state finance. Read more →

1931 - Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Cairo Correspondence Set (Letter, Registered Cover, and Account Statement)

Complete 1931 Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Cairo correspondence set consisting of three original components: a printed bank letterhead with bilingual Arabic–French text, the matching addressed postal cover bearing a King Fuad 5m franking and Cairo postal strikes, and the full Konto–Korrent account statement issued to the same client on the same date. Taken together, these documents preserve the complete administrative chain between the German overseas bank's Cairo branch and one of its Egyptian clients during the interwar period. Read more →

Egypt 1918 - Banque Belge pour l’Étranger, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original cheque issued by the Cairo branch of Banque Belge pour l'Étranger on 2 September 1918, produced during the final phase of the First World War. The form is printed on light cream security stock with a richly engraved Art Nouveau header. Along the left margin runs a vertical ornamental cartouche enclosing the bank’s interlocking monogram and the legend BANQUE BELGE POUR L'ÉTRANGER – LE CAIRE, framed by a list of the bank’s principal branches in BRUXELLES, LONDRES, ROTTERDAM, LE CAIRE, ALEXANDRIE, SHANGHAI, PEKIN and TIENTSIN. The wide geographical spread reflects the institution’s pre-war ambition to operate as a global correspondent house linking European capital with Asian and Middle Eastern commercial centers. Read more →

Egypt 1923 - Banco di Roma, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original Banco di Roma cheque issued in Cairo on 17 November 1923, printed on cream security paper with a richly engraved Roman header characteristic of interwar Italian banknote and cheque design. At the upper left, within an elaborate vertical cartouche of scrollwork and rosettes, appears the iconic Capitoline Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus. This emblem served as the visual shorthand for Banco di Roma's institutional identity and its projection of Italian national symbolism abroad. The engraving is attributed to the Ditta Farani–Roma printing house, whose small imprint is placed discreetly at the lower margin, consistent with commercial security work of the period. Read more →

Egypt 1910 - Riches & Mawas, Cairo–Alexandria–Tanta Commercial Draft for 1600 Piastres

Original 1910 commercial draft issued by Riches & Mawas, a prominent British–Levantine trading firm operating across Cairo, Alexandria and Tanta. The draft is printed on cream-toned security paper with a vertical deep-blue engraved ornamental panel at right. This panel features an elaborate baroque frame surrounding the intertwined R & M monogram, with the company’s three branch cities CAIRE, ALEXANDRIE, TANTA printed around the oval. The engraving style, scrollwork density, and typographic balance match the known output of B. Arnaud (Lyon–Paris–Le Caire), whose imprint appears at the lower edge. Read more →

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

Original 1927 commercial draft issued in Cairo by Chahine & Sbath, the well-known textile and drapery merchants located at 4 Rue Boulac. The left margin features the firm’s elaborate vertical trade header, printed in dark grey with ornamental shading and the wording Draperie Haute Nouveauté in both French and Arabic. The typography and engraved side panel are characteristic of B. Arnaud’s Lyon–Paris–Le Caire security printing, whose imprint appears along the lower margin. Read more →

Egypt 1922–1927 - Anglo-Egyptian Bank, Alexandria Multicolor Cheque Set (Transition to Barclays DCO)

Set of four original cheques issued by The Anglo-Egyptian Bank Limited, Alexandria branch, spanning the years 1922 to 1927. Each piece is printed on period cream banking stock with engraved borders, full branch listings, manuscript completions, and clearing stamps, offering a detailed view of interwar British banking operations in Egypt. The cheques include three distinct color printings-black, blue, and red-reflecting the evolving design and internal accounting systems used by the bank before its rebranding to Barclays DCO. Read more →