Collection PL

Martinique 1870 — Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Cheque Recovered After the 1902 Mount Pelée Eruption (Pick P.5A)

A Banque de la Martinique one franc cheque form, Pick P.5A, originally printed for use at Saint-Pierre during the late nineteenth century and later recovered from the ruins of the city following the catastrophic eruption of Mount Pelée on 8 May 1902. Although printed decades earlier as part of the bank’s standardized cheque issue, this surviving example was never negotiated as a financial instrument and instead entered history as a disaster-recovery relic, explicitly identified as such by contemporary handwritten annotations. The printed face follows the established Banque de la Martinique cheque format, bearing the heading “Chèque sur la Banque de la Martinique,” internal control marking “B.P.F. ... Read more →

Portugal 1799 — Real Erario 20000 Reis Apólice, Original Issue, No Overprint, Lisboa No. 37723

A Portuguese royal-era public debt instrument issued in Lisboa in 1799 under the authority of the Real Erario, denominated 20000 reis and payable to bearer. This document is an apólice, a formal treasury obligation representing state-backed debt issued during a period of administrative continuity in late eighteenth-century Portugal, prior to the political and fiscal disruptions of the nineteenth century. This example belongs to the original issue phase of Portuguese treasury apólices and predates the period commonly associated with the War of the Brothers. ... Read more →

Brazil ca. 1852–1870 — Imperial Treasury of Brazil 10 Mil Réis Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick A231x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Imperial Treasury of Brazil ten mil réis issue, produced during the active circulation period of the official banknote and intended to pass as legal tender in everyday commerce. Classified in standard references as Pick A231x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials, engraving methods, and paper consistent with mid-nineteenth-century Brazilian monetary circulation. Contemporary counterfeits occupy a distinct and historically important category within paper money studies. ... Read more →

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

This face proof represents the obverse-only proof state of the 10 Pesos issue prepared for the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata in 1871. It was pulled directly from the finished face plate during the engraving and plate-approval process, prior to the preparation of reverse plates, serial numbering, or the assembly of complete circulating banknotes. As such, it documents the earliest finalized stage of design approval rather than a variant of an issued note. ... Read more →

United States 1933 — Any City, U.S.A. City and County Scrip Five Dollars Specimen (Generic Municipal Master Form)

This specimen represents a generic City and County municipal scrip master form, dated Series of 1933 and denominated Five Dollars, produced during the most acute phase of the Great Depression. Explicitly designated for use by ANY CITY, U.S.A., the instrument was not issued by a specific municipality but instead functioned as a standardized template intended for rapid adoption by multiple cities and counties facing severe liquidity collapse. During the banking crisis of 1933, municipalities across the United States encountered simultaneous failures of cash circulation, delayed tax receipts, and restricted access to credit markets. ... Read more →

United States 1934 — New Jersey, County of Atlantic School Scrip Ten Dollars Specimen (November 1 Issue)

This specimen represents an official county-level school tax scrip issued by the County of Atlantic, New Jersey, dated November 1, 1934, and denominated Ten Dollars. It belongs to a category of legally authorized educational finance instruments created during the Great Depression, when counties were confronted with the collapse of normal revenue flows and were forced to adopt extraordinary measures to sustain public schooling. Unlike informal emergency substitutes or privately issued local notes, this instrument was grounded in a defined statutory and administrative framework. ... Read more →

United States 1933 — New Jersey, Borough of Palmyra Municipal Scrip Five Dollars Specimen (General Obligation)

This specimen represents an official municipal scrip issued by the Borough of Palmyra, Burlington County, New Jersey, Series of 1933, and denominated Five Dollars. It originates from the most acute phase of the Great Depression, when local governments faced severe liquidity shortages and were compelled to issue interest-bearing scrip to meet ordinary municipal obligations in the absence of sufficient circulating cash. Municipal scrip functioned as a direct acknowledgment of indebtedness by the issuing authority, intended for local circulation or settlement rather than long-term financing. ... Read more →

United States 1935 — New Jersey, Borough of Palmyra Municipal Scrip One Dollar Specimen (General Obligation)

This specimen represents an official municipal scrip issued by the Borough of Palmyra, Burlington County, New Jersey, Series of 1935, and denominated One Dollar. It belongs to the later phase of Depression-era local finance, when smaller municipalities continued to rely on interest-bearing scrip to manage routine obligations amid prolonged economic strain and uneven recovery. Municipal scrip differed from tax anticipation notes and formal bond issues in that it functioned as a direct acknowledgment of indebtedness by the issuing municipality, intended for circulation or settlement within the local economy. ... Read more →

United States 1934 — New Jersey, City of Asbury Park Tax Anticipation Note One Dollar Recovery Bond Specimen (March 31 Issue)

This specimen represents an official municipal tax anticipation note issued by the City of Asbury Park, New Jersey, dated March 31, 1934, and denominated One Dollar. Explicitly titled TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE OF 1934 and further identified on the design as a RECOVERY BOND, the instrument forms part of a structured municipal financing program implemented during the depth of the Great Depression, when local governments faced severe cash shortages and unstable revenue collection. Tax anticipation notes were legally authorized short-term obligations designed to transform expected tax receipts into immediate operating funds. ... Read more →

United States 1934 — New Jersey, City of Asbury Park Tax Anticipation Note Five Dollars Recovery Bond Specimen (March 31 Issue)

This specimen represents an official municipal tax anticipation note issued by the City of Asbury Park, New Jersey, dated March 31, 1934, and denominated Five Dollars. Explicitly titled TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE OF 1934 and prominently labeled RECOVERY BOND, the instrument forms part of a coordinated municipal financing program implemented during the most severe phase of the Great Depression, when local governments faced acute revenue shortfalls and escalating insolvency risk. Tax anticipation notes were legally sanctioned debt instruments designed to convert expected tax revenues into immediate operating capital. ... Read more →

United States 1934 — New Jersey, City of Asbury Park Tax Anticipation Note Ten Dollars Recovery Bond Specimen (March 31 Issue)

This specimen represents an official municipal tax anticipation note issued by the City of Asbury Park, New Jersey, dated March 31, 1934, and denominated Ten Dollars. Explicitly titled TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE OF 1934 and further identified on the design as a RECOVERY BOND, the instrument belongs to a class of short-term municipal obligations created during the most acute phase of the Great Depression, when local governments faced severe cash shortages and collapsing revenue streams. Tax anticipation notes were not emergency substitutes or informal scrip, but legally sanctioned debt instruments issued in advance of expected tax receipts. ... Read more →

United States 1933 — State of Delaware Tax Paid on Half Barrel of Beer Fifty Cents Specimen Strip,

This specimen strip represents an official State of Delaware excise tax stamp issued in 1933 for beer, explicitly designated TAX PAID ON HALF BARREL OF BEER and denominated Fifty Cents. It originates from the earliest phase of state-level alcohol regulation following the repeal of national Prohibition, when individual states were forced to reconstruct taxation, licensing, and enforcement systems that had been dormant or dismantled for more than a decade. The repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1933 did not simply legalize alcohol; it transferred regulatory responsibility almost immediately to the states, many of which lacked fully developed administrative frameworks for alcohol control. ... Read more →