Collection PL

Australia 1877 - Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company Portrait of Woman for City of Melbourne Bank Limited 20 Pounds Design Intaglio Vignette (Pick Unlisted)

The lower margin carries the Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. London imprint together with the number 40. Preserved independently from borders, denomination devices, issuer lettering and other elements of the completed note, the vignette allows the engraved portrait to be examined as an individual production component. Read more →

New Zealand 1896 - Bank of Australasia £50 Christchurch Proof (Pick Unlisted)

This proof represents a pre issue banknote of the Bank of Australasia, denominated Fifty Pounds and prepared for the Christchurch office during the late nineteenth century expansion of British chartered banking in New Zealand. It was produced as part of the institution internal design approval and presentation process and was never intended for public circulation. Read more →

Australia 1879–1903 - Federal Bank of Australia, Limited £1 Sydney Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The Federal Bank of Australia commenced operations in 1881 and expanded aggressively during the speculative land-boom years of the late nineteenth century. Its collapse during the catastrophic banking crisis of 1893 resulted in the rapid liquidation of assets and the withdrawal, redemption, and destruction of nearly all circulating notes. As a consequence, surviving material associated with the bank is almost entirely confined to printer’s proofs, archival specimens, and presentation examples retained outside Australia. Read more →

Italy 1871–1872 - Banca Italo-Germanica 250 Lire Specimen (Pick S976s)

Rarity research places this specimen in the highest tier of European banknote scarcity. PMG lists exactly one graded example-this note-and no additional pieces have surfaced in major auctions, museum digitizations, or literature beyond isolated mentions in nineteenth-century trade records. In the absence of any documented issued notes and with no other certified specimens known, Pick S976s firmly qualifies within the R9 tier of extreme rarity. Read more →

Uruguay 1872 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 100 Pesos = 10 Doblones Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A printer’s archival specimen of the 1872 issue of the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata, denominated 100 Pesos Nacionales with an explicit equivalence to 10 Doblones in gold. This dual-denomination construction represents one of the most ambitious monetary experiments undertaken in nineteenth-century Uruguay, attempting to anchor paper currency directly to a fixed gold value at a time of persistent instability and public distrust in fiduciary issues. Read more →

China 1880 - Sinkiang Textile Emergency Currency Cloth Note (Pick Unlisted)

The use of textile as a monetary substrate is not symbolic but functional. In western China during the late nineteenth century, cloth was durable, locally available, and resistant to the environmental conditions that rapidly degraded paper. Its fibrous structure absorbed pigment deeply, making hand-applied ink and overprints difficult to erase or alter. These characteristics made cloth suitable for emergency currency in regions far removed from centralized minting and printing facilities. Read more →

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

The design is executed directly onto fabric in dark ink, with the textile weave clearly visible through the printed impression. The layout centers on a rectangular inscription panel framed by vegetal side borders and a wave-pattern band along the lower register. The upper register incorporates a winged ornamental motif distinct from earlier nineteenth-century Xinjiang textile issues, indicating a later re-cut or locally adapted block tradition rather than reuse of original plates. Read more →

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

Colouration is restrained compared to later proof or finished production states, indicating an earlier stage in the approval or validation process. Engraving quality, paper, and layout correspond to Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. master production standards for Australian private banks at the close of the nineteenth century. Read more →

New Zealand 1870–1890 - Bank of New Zealand £1 Green Specimen (Pick S191s)

This £1 Green specimen marks a pivotal stage in New Zealand’s monetary development. During the late nineteenth century, the Bank of New Zealand operated within a privately issued currency system, where commercial banks produced their own notes backed by reserves and governed under colonial legislation. Bradbury Wilkinson introduced high-security engraving standards to this system, embedding British technical precision into a developing colonial economy. Read more →

Argentina 1844 - Provincia de Buenos Ayres 5 Pesos Moneda Corriente Issued Note, 1º Febrero 1844, Rosas Confederation Legend, Rosas Signature (Pick S389)

The reverse is blank, consistent with early provincial Argentine issues. The paper is laid rag stock with visible horizontal laid lines and faint vertical chain lines typical of mid-nineteenth century hand-made production. Read more →

Argentina 1871 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 10 Pesos Rosario No. 000001 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A handwritten pencil annotation appears at the upper left margin, consistent with nineteenth century office handling and dating to February 1872. This notation post dates the printed issue date and reflects routine administrative processing rather than later collector intervention. Read more →

Uruguay 1867 - Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado Handwritten Right-Side Signature Serial 55818 Issued Note (Pick S385a)

The obverse design follows the classic American Bank Note Company international style of the mid-nineteenth century. At left, two allegorical female figures personify Commerce and Abundance, rendered in finely engraved classical style. At right, the national coat of arms of Uruguay appears above crossed flags and laurel branches, emphasizing state authority and political legitimacy. A bold central orange guilloche surrounds the inscription “UN DOBLÓN DE ORO SELLADO,” explicitly referencing gold-backed value and convertibility, an essential confidence mechanism in Uruguay’s developing monetary system. Read more →