Collection PL

Poland 1994 - 200 Zlotych, Narodowy Bank Polski WZÓR Specimen Number 010 (Pick 177s)

The banknote was designed by Andrzej Heidrich and printed by Thomas De La Rue in London for the National Bank of Poland. Read more →

Uruguay 1871 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 10 Pesos Face Proof (Pick S239p)

This proof connects with the later 1883 Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 10 Pesos specimen preserved in this collection. The two pieces belong to different catalog issues and production dates, but together they document the continuing 10 Pesos denomination within the bank's nineteenth-century note history. The 1871 face proof preserves an earlier plate-approval state, while the 1883 Pick S242s specimen records a later completed two-sided specimen issue with full color, retained counterfoil, reverse design, and perforated SPECIMEN BW & Co LONDON cancellation. Their relationship provides a direct study of the denomination across separate production periods. Read more →

South Africa 1828 - Cape of Good Hope Bank 5 Shillings Pre-Issue Sample (Pick S171p)

This 1828 five shillings pre-issue sample must therefore be regarded as a museum-grade monetary artifact rather than a conventional banknote. It documents the transition from state-administered colonial finance toward private banking, the absence of central banking authority in nineteenth-century South Africa, and the institutional processes through which early banks sought legitimacy, authorization, and public trust. As such, it stands as a primary historical document of South Africa’s pre-central-bank monetary system and the origins of private paper currency in the region. Read more →

South Africa 1861 - Montagu Bank 5 Pounds Remainder (Pick S231r)

Printed from a hard steel plate by William Brown of London, with local agency handled by Ewan Christian in Cape Town, the note exemplifies the highest standards of mid nineteenth-century private banknote engraving. Steel-plate production required significant capital investment and technical skill, underscoring the bank’s intention to project stability, credibility, and permanence despite its ultimately fragile financial position. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Perforated Cancel, Series A–B (Pick 41as)

Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company of London, this perforated-cancel specimen documents one of the control mechanisms applied to Uruguay’s highest-denomination banknote during the late interwar period. It stands as material evidence of how the issuing bank and printer differentiated institutional reference material from circulating currency while maintaining full design fidelity and archival completeness. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie D, Specimen No. 23 (Pick 41cs)

The imprint of Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited appears at the lower center of the reverse. The London security printer combined portrait engraving, architectural framing, fine-line backgrounds, watermark integration, and repeated denomination devices into a design capable of expressing both high monetary value and official state authority. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie C, Specimen No. 2 (Pick 41bs)

Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited printed the note in London, as stated in the lower reverse margin. The work reflects the firm's ability to unite symbolic portraiture, narrative engraving, watermark security, ornamental geometry, and large-denomination typography within a single coherent banknote design. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, De La Rue Cancel Stamp, Serie A, Specimen No. 50 (Pick 41as)

Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company of London, this De La Rue-cancelled specimen documents one of the specific control mechanisms applied to Uruguay’s highest-denomination banknote during the late interwar period. It stands as material evidence of the administrative practices through which the issuing bank and printer differentiated institutional reference material from circulating currency while maintaining full design fidelity and archival completeness. Read more →

Poland 1928 - Bank Polski 20 Zlotych Archival Watermarked Paper (Miłczak 67)

Archival watermarked paper prepared by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited in London for the unissued Bank Polski 20 Zlotych banknote dated 2 January 1928. This piece preserves the original production substrate for the note: the security paper with multitone portrait watermark, before banknote printing. It is not a printed banknote, but a surviving archival component from one of the most important unrealized Polish banknote projects of the interwar period. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 Pesos Specimen, Red Oval De La Rue Cancel, Serie A (Pick 38as)

This specimen note represents the fifty pesos denomination of the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939 and printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company in London. The note is clearly identified on its face as Serie A, reflecting the actual printed series rather than generalized range designations sometimes used on grading labels. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie B, Specimen No. 8 (Pick 41bs)

Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company of London, this example documents the printed-cancel control variant of the highest denomination within the 1939 Uruguay series. It stands as institutional production evidence of the specimen management practices applied to top-tier currency issues during the consolidation of Uruguay’s modern state-directed banking system. Read more →

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Issued Note SORIANO Branch Overprint, Serial D099758 (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 SORIANO branch overprint applied after central issuance. Read more →