Collection PL

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

This official printer specimen of the 5000 Denari belongs to the inaugural post-independence banknote series of the Republic of Macedonia, introduced in 1996 by the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia. The series was produced by Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited of London, whose security printing program established the technical and visual identity of the country’s modern currency. Read more →

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

A key feature of the denomination is the integration of the Maenad motif into the banknote’s security architecture. The same figure appears as the watermark embedded within the paper, linking the principal engraved subject with one of the primary anti-counterfeiting devices. When the note is held to transmitted light, the watermark reproduces the Maenad form in soft tonal relief, demonstrating the intentional alignment between artistic design and security function. Read more →

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

The subject of the engraving is the Golden Mask discovered at the archaeological site of Trebeništa near Ohrid, dating to the 6th century BCE. The funerary mask is one of the most important artifacts associated with the ancient cultures of the Macedonian region. By selecting this object as the central motif for the 500 Denari denomination, the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia anchored the modern currency of the newly independent state in the deep archaeological heritage of the region. 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)

Certified PMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated, this example retains exceptional paper originality, strong color saturation, and sharply defined intaglio detail. As a superbly preserved specimen of the later production run, it illustrates the enduring use of the Golden Mask motif within Macedonia’s modern banknote design. Read more →

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

The proof is printed on watermarked paper manufactured by Cowan & Sons, one of the principal British suppliers of high-grade security paper during the nineteenth century. Such paper stocks were widely used for government revenue instruments and later for colonial banknotes. The presence of Cowan paper reflects the integration of New South Wales fiscal printing into the broader British security printing industry. Read more →

Italy 1871 - Germania with Shield and Spear Vignette Die Proof Used on 500 Lire (Pick PS977)

Bradbury Wilkinson’s engraving demonstrates the firm’s distinctive nineteenth-century intaglio technique. The figure is modeled through tightly controlled parallel linework and cross-hatching, creating sculptural depth while maintaining the clarity necessary for secure banknote reproduction. The surrounding ornamental frame combines classical scrollwork and architectural symmetry typical of Bradbury Wilkinson vignette design, providing a stable visual structure into which the denomination tablet and bank title were integrated. 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 →

Poland 1988 - 50 Zlotych 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 Zlotych Prefix HK Issued Note (Pick 142c)

Certified PMG 68 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated, the note retains exceptional paper quality, precise centering, and strong embossing from the intaglio printing process. As one of the highest-graded examples of the type, it represents the peak level of preservation attainable for the 1988 50 Złotych issue and provides an archival reference for the technical standards achieved by PWPW during the closing years of the socialist-era Polish currency system. Read more →