Collection PL

China 1922 - Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

No catalog listing, institutional reference, or documented parallel example corresponding to this specific textile type is known. Under the collection’s evidence-based classification system, this note is treated as a single known example at present and classified as R9. Read more →

China 1924 - Dihua Official Coin Bureau 40 Wen Textile Emergency Issue (Pick Unlisted)

The official status of this issue is confirmed by institutional preservation. One documented example is held by the British Museum, establishing that the 40 wen textile note was produced under governmental authority rather than as a private or ceremonial object. Together with the present specimen, this represents the full extent of currently documented examples. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 100 Reales Vellon Serie A No. 23327 Full Sheet with Header and Talon Specimen (Pick S451s)

Rarity is at the highest level. Importantly, PMG census data for the base Pick S451 grouping cannot be used to measure rarity for Zaragoza, because PMG aggregates multiple unrelated banks under the same base number (Barcelona, Cádiz, Valencia, Madrid, Pamplona, and others). Full-sheet S451s specimens for Banco de Zaragoza are not recorded by PMG at all. This example appears to be unique or one of very few survivors of its type, placing it firmly in the R8+ category. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 200 Reales Vellon Serie B No. 07887 Full Sheet with Header and Talon Specimen (Pick S452s)

Pick S452s identifies the specimen variety of this emission, distinct from issued notes and remainders. The engraving reflects the Madrid-school style: a large Spanish coat of arms, elaborately engraved acanthus borders, and formal typographic promise text payable in Zaragoza. The talón repeats the same serial number, confirming its original audit pairing. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 500 Reales Vellon Serie C No. 08703 Full Sheet with Header and Talon Specimen (Pick S453s)

A full-sheet specimen of the Banco de Zaragoza 500 reales vellón dated 14 May 1857, Serie C, serial number 08703. Classified as Pick S453s, this complete production sheet preserves the entire original plate configuration: the upper header panel used for alignment and plate control, the left talón containing the audit serial, and the full banknote plate. Specimens surviving in full-sheet format are exceptionally rare for Spanish provincial banks of the 1850s. Their survival in untrimmed, archival form is nearly unprecedented. Read more →

New Zealand 1895-1908 - Bank of New Zealand £10 Brown with Serial Number Prefix Specimen (Pick S193bs)

A high-denomination specimen from the Bank of New Zealand color lineage, the ten pounds brown (Pick S193bs) represents the serial-prefix approval format bearing dual printed control numbers, 097476 at upper left and 102475 at lower right. These serial-prefix specimens were produced for internal audit, plate approval, and archival reference purposes, distinct from zero-serial specimen impressions. Read more →

New Zealand 1916-1920 - Bank of New Zealand £5 Red-Rose (Orange Lineage) with Serial Number Prefix Specimen (Pick S227s)

This specimen is a reference-grade artifact of New Zealand monetary history, combining wartime production context, live serial numbering, internal control markings, and documented survival from the Bank of New Zealand’s private-issue period. Certified PMG 65 EPQ Gem Uncirculated, it is the sole PMG-certified example at this grade and Top Pop. R8 rarity. Read more →

New Zealand 1913 - Bank of New Zealand £5 Orange Multi-Serial Approval Specimen (Pick S192ms)

By 1913, the Bank of New Zealand’s commercial note-issuing era was approaching its end. Two decades later, issuance would be centralized under the Reserve Bank, and most private-bank archival material was destroyed. Surviving multi-serial approval specimens such as this are therefore exceptionally rare. In light of known populations and the specialized function of the type, Pick S192ms properly belongs in the R8 rarity tier. It stands today as one of the most important reference artifacts for the study of New Zealand’s private-banknote system and Bradbury Wilkinson’s Oceania output. Read more →

Australia 1905–1910 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Specimen Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Unlisted in Pick and graded PMG 63 EPQ Choice Uncirculated (Top Pop), this specimen marks the transition from private colonial issues to the newly centralised Commonwealth currency introduced after 1910. It reflects both the confidence of early-twentieth-century Australian banking and the enduring partnership between London engravers and Australian financial institutions. Read more →

Australia 1880-1889 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited £5 with Serial Prefix SPECIMEN (Pick Unlisted, MVR4a)

The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, founded in 1834, was among Australia’s most influential private banks during the colonial period. High-denomination notes such as this £5 played a central role in interbank settlement and wholesale finance, making specimen material a critical part of the bank’s operational infrastructure. Read more →

Australia 1900 - Bank of New South Wales £20 Sydney Circular Note Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The face is headed "The Bank of New South Wales" in elaborate script above the designation "CIRCULAR NOTE for £20 STERLING." Sydney appears prominently beneath the denomination, with an open "No. A" control field at upper left. The instruction is addressed to bankers named in the accompanying Letter of Indication, linking the note directly to the identification document used with the circular-note system. Read more →

Mauritius 1839 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 20 Dollars / 4 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled Note (Pick S125)

Rarity is severe. PMG census lists only 15 total graded examples for Pick S125 across all grades and subtypes. Surviving raw pieces in private hands and institutions likely number only a handful more. Combining these yields an estimated total population of approximately <10 extant issued-and-cancelled examples in all conditions, placing the type squarely in the R8 range of rarity. As an intact, fully issued, pre-1840 Mauritius note from the formative period of the island’s banking history, this piece stands as a museum-grade cornerstone for early Indian Ocean finance and colonial economic studies. Read more →