Collection PL

Argentina 1866 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 1 Real Rosario Type B with Hand Signature Issued Note (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. Read more →

Poland 1936 - 50 Zlotych Reverse Progressive Proof (Pick 78pp2)

Progressive proof of the reverse design for the unissued 1936 50 Zlotych - one of the most advanced and visually ambitious notes ever conceived by the Second Polish Republic. Printed by the Państwowa Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych (PWPW) in Warsaw, this sheet captures a transitional stage in the birth of a masterpiece. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Color Trial Specimen (Omar al-Mukhtar Portrait, Pick 37cts)

Color trial specimens occupy a critical position within the banknote production sequence. They are not presentation pieces and not substitutes for issued notes, but technical print evaluations pulled during the final calibration of the intaglio face plate and associated tint stones. Their purpose was to test color harmony, ink density, and registration behavior under production conditions before full authorization of the circulating issue. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya Omar al-Mukhtar Intaglio Vignette Proof (Portrait Master for 10 Dinars Issue)

In modern banknote production, vignette proofs occupy a foundational position within the engraving workflow. They are executed before the assembly of complete face plates and serve as the visual and symbolic anchor around which the remainder of the design is constructed. Unlike color trials or issued notes, vignette proofs document the engraver’s original artistic intent at maximum fidelity, unconstrained by later compromises required for mass production. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Specimen (Omar al-Mukhtar Portrait, Pick 37s)

This example is graded PMG 58 EPQ Choice About Uncirculated and is recorded as the only graded specimen for Pick 37s. While issued notes of Pick 37 survive in quantity, specimen examples were produced in extremely limited numbers and were typically withdrawn or destroyed once distribution and training purposes were fulfilled. 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. Read more →

Libya 1972 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37b, With Arabic Inscription)

The finalized inscription marks the transition from provisional early circulation to a fully normalized issued form, coinciding with the stabilization of Libya’s post-revolution monetary administration. While Pick 37a captures urgency and rapid deployment, Pick 37b represents institutional maturity and regulatory closure. Read more →

Paraguay 1907 - 100 Pesos with 1912 State Overprint (Pick 134, Base Pick 159)

This certified example is especially important because issued 1912 overprint notes normally survived in circulated condition. High-denomination emergency paper was not produced for collectors; it was made to solve an immediate fiscal problem and was expected to work in the economy. Most examples were handled, redeemed, withdrawn, damaged, or lost. A PMG 65 EPQ Gem Uncirculated survivor with original paper quality is therefore extraordinary. The grade places this note at the very top level of preservation for the type, and the EPQ designation confirms the exceptional originality of the paper surface. Read more →

Barbados 1943 - Government of Barbados 100 Dollars Prefix AA Front and Back Archival Photograph Pair (Pick Unlisted)

This item consists of a matched pair of archival photographic prints documenting the front and back designs of an unissued 100 Dollars banknote for Barbados, dated 1943 and produced under British colonial administration. The photographs record a complete banknote design that did not proceed to production or circulation and survive as internal visual documentation rather than monetary instruments. Read more →

Great Britain c.1806–1812 - Derby Bank £5 Proof (Pick Unlisted)

At the time this proof was produced, Britain’s monetary system was still decentralized. Hundreds of private and provincial banks issued their own notes, payable on demand and backed by local reputation rather than a central authority. Derby Bank operated within this framework, issuing notes tailored specifically to its regional clientele. Such banks relied on London correspondents-here explicitly named as Samuel Smith & Co., Bankers, London-to facilitate redemption, settlement, and credibility beyond their immediate locality. Read more →

Brazil 1963 - Tesouro Nacional 20 Cruzeiros Front & Back Proof

Certified PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated-the highest grade awarded for this type-the sheet preserves full ABNC margin annotations used to align color plates and control registration during production. Such proofs were never issued; they served instead as final reference material within printer archives or official collections. Read more →

Portugal 1917 - Banco de Portugal 50 Mil Réis Front Progressive Proof (Pick 110pp1)

The EPQ designation is exceptional at this grade, indicating fully original paper quality and unaltered archival surfaces-critical for proofs that typically show handling or trimming. Only two examples of Pick 110pp1 appear in the PMG census, placing this among the rarest surviving Portuguese progressive proofs. Each intermediate pull was meant to be destroyed once calibration finished; very few escaped the printer’s vaults. This proof documents the engraver’s first successful alignment of the plate and thus predates the issued specimen by a critical production stage. Read more →