Collection PL

Egypt 1911 - The Odeon Hall, Cairo Gold Watch Repair Invoice

Early 1911 invoice from The Odeon Hall in Cairo, one of the city’s most modern pre-war establishments combining gramophone sales, watchmaking, and luxury retail. Issued for the repair of a gold watch, the bilingual French–Arabic letterhead advertises phonographs, records, and precision horological services, reflecting Egypt’s rapid adoption of European technology and leisure culture. The page displays a refined pre-war commercial aesthetic: scrolling decorative borders, clear French titles with Arabic equivalents, and balanced typesetting characteristic of early Cairo printing houses. ... Read more →

Egypt 1950 - Gamil Fawzi El-Motei Oldsmobile & Vauxhall Service Station (Heliopolis–Abbassia)

Original 1950 service and delivery letterhead from Gamil Fawzi El-Motei, the official Oldsmobile and Vauxhall agent in Cairo and one of the earliest postwar General Motors dealerships operating in Egypt. The top section is printed on light cream stock and features an unusually elaborate illustrated masthead for a mid-century Arab automotive agency. Two large halftone photographs dominate the header: the left image shows the dealership's illuminated evening service station with its tower signage and forecourt lighting, while the right image presents a clear street-level view of the showroom façade, with GENERAL MOTORS branding and the distinctive EL-MOTEI signage above the entrance. ... Read more →

Egypt 1908 - Mohammed El Komi Carriage & Automobile Workshop Invoice

Original 1908 trade invoice from Mohammed El Komi, a Cairo-based carriage and early automobile workshop situated on Rue El Saha near the palace of Mazloum Pasha. The upper section features a finely lithographed header showing a side-profile illustration of a horse-drawn carriage with the driver seated at the front. Above the vignette, the workshop name 'MOHAMMED EL KOMI' appears in a bold curved arc. ... Read more →

Egypt 1921 - National Bank of Egypt, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original National Bank of Egypt cheque issued in Cairo on 23 March 1921, printed on pale cream security paper with an elaborate blue guilloche frame. The border consists of finely interlaced geometric linework characteristic of early twentieth-century British-engraved financial stationery. The upper section displays the bold NATIONAL BANK OF EGYPT title flanked by twin rosettes, presenting the institution in its combined role as both Egypt’s de facto state bank and the country’s dominant commercial bank during this period. ... Read more →

Argentina 1876 - Banco de San Juan 5 Pesos Fuertes Specimen (S1881s)

This specimen represents the sole documented control specimen of the Banco de San Juan 5 Pesos Fuertes issue, printed in 1876 by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company in London for the provincial Bank of San Juan. It is not part of a surviving series but a single archival output, with no issued, proof, or parallel specimen counterparts known. The Banco de San Juan operated within Argentina’s interior Andean province during a period when provincial banks exercised near-sovereign authority over local credit and currency issuance. ... Read more →

Argentina 1869 - Banco Domingo Garbino, 5 Pesos Fuertes Issued Note with Red Overprint (Pick S1803)

Issued 5 Pesos Fuertes note of Banco Domingo Garbino, printed by the American Bank Note Company (Compañía Americana de Billetes de Banco Nueva York) and formally activated for circulation through the large diagonal red overprint “DOMINGO GARBINO.” This overprint was not decorative nor optional: it was the legal validation required to transform the bank’s remainder stock (Pick S1792r) into fully issued, signed, numbered, and payable currency. For this reason, Pick S1803 represents the only surviving issued form of the Garbino 5 Pesos Fuertes denomination. The base printing displays ABNC’s early post-Civil-War engraving style: a vigilant dog guarding a strongbox at top center, allegorical female portraits representing rural labor and domestic virtue, and deep green lathe-work executed with the precision that made ABNC the dominant security printer in the Americas. ... Read more →

Poland 1940 - 10 Złotych Bank Emisyjny w Polsce Prefix C Kraków Issue Approval Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

This Prefix C approval specimen of the 10 Złotych issue documents the formal authorization stage of one of the core denominations of the 1940 General Government banknote series. Dated Kraków, 1 March 1940, the note represents the fully approved production standard used to initiate circulation printing by Bank Emisyjny w Polsce. The specimen is fully engraved and signed, corresponding in design, layout, and security structure to the issued banknote. ... Read more →

Poland 1940 - 20 Złotych Bank Emisyjny w Polsce Prefix A Kraków Issue Approval Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

This Prefix A approval specimen of the 20 Złotych issue documents the formal authorization stage of the occupation-era monetary system administered by Bank Emisyjny w Polsce. Dated Kraków, 1 March 1940, the note represents the fully accepted production standard from which circulation printing was initiated. It is a completed, signed, and institutionally approved banknote retained as a reference at the moment when monetary authority was translated into physical form. ... Read more →

Barbados 1959 - Government of Barbados Treasury Bill, Photographic Proof (Early Design Stage)

This photographic proof records an early design form of a Government of Barbados Treasury Bill prepared under the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922. The proof differs materially in wording, layout, and structure from later issued and specimen Treasury Bills, and represents an earlier design stage within the Barbados treasury bill system. The front displays the full issuer heading “Government of Barbados Treasury Bill” and a legal obligation clause stating payment “to bearer out of the General Revenue and Assets of Barbados.” This formulation is not identical to the wording used on later Treasury Bills and bearer instruments, where the obligation language is more compact and standardized. ... Read more →

Barbados 1980 - Government of Barbados 500 Dollars Treasury Bill, Specimen, Red Overprint, No Prefix

This Treasury Bill specimen was issued by the Government of Barbados under the authority of the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922 and represents a non-circulating fiscal instrument prepared for internal treasury reference and archival retention. The denomination of five hundred dollars reflects a lower-tier value within the Barbados Treasury Bill structure, intended for routine accounting and liquidity operations rather than high-value treasury settlements. The note is printed in a multicolour engraved security design, framed by an ornate guilloche border and filled with a dense repeating “Government of Barbados” underprint across the entire face. ... Read more →

Barbados 1980 - Government of Barbados 10,000 Dollars Treasury Bill, Specimen, Red Overprint, Punch Hole Cancelled, Prefix D

This Treasury Bill specimen was issued by the Government of Barbados under the authority of the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922 and represents a high-value, non-circulating fiscal instrument prepared for internal reference, audit control, and archival retention. The denomination of ten thousand dollars places this note within the upper tier of Barbados Treasury Bills, intended for substantial treasury operations rather than routine fiscal use. The note is printed in a multicolour engraved security design with an ornate guilloche frame and a dense repeating “Government of Barbados” underprint covering the entire face. ... Read more →

Barbados 1980 - Government of Barbados 10,000 Dollars Treasury Bill, Specimen, Punch Hole Cancelled, No Prefix

This Treasury Bill specimen was issued by the Government of Barbados under the authority of the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922 and represents a non-circulating fiscal instrument prepared for internal treasury reference and archival retention. The denomination of ten thousand dollars reflects a high-value obligation within the Barbados Treasury Bill structure, intended for significant accounting and liquidity operations rather than routine fiscal use. The note is printed in a refined multicolour engraved security design, framed by an ornate guilloche border and filled with a dense repeating “Government of Barbados” underprint across the entire face. ... Read more →