Collection PL

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Issued Note Serial A053441 (Pick A88a)

The obverse presents the seated Mercury allegory at left, symbolizing commerce and circulation, executed in refined intaglio engraving. The national coat of arms appears at right within an ornate guilloche framework, reinforcing sovereign legitimacy. The layered green and black linework demonstrates Waterlow export engraving discipline of the late nineteenth century, combining ornamental density with clear denomination prominence. Read more →

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Issued Note Serial K078922 (Pick A88c)

The Banco Nacional functioned as a principal national banking authority in late nineteenth century Uruguay, issuing notes convertible within a metallic-based monetary structure. The 20 Centesimos denomination formed the fractional tier of the 1887 emission, facilitating small commercial transactions while retaining the same high level of engraved security sophistication applied to higher denominations. Read more →

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Paysando Branch Overprint Serial J016899 (Pick A88c)

The Banco Nacional operated a centralized emission system with subsequent provincial distribution through regional branches. Branch overprints functioned as administrative control markings identifying notes allocated to specific provincial offices for circulation and accounting. The overprint on this example reads PAYSANDO, reflecting the contemporary nineteenth century spelling of the city today known as Paysandu. Read more →

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos CANELONES Branch Overprint Serial H092503 (Pick A88c)

As a mechanically signed 1887 national issue bearing a CANELONES branch overprint, this note documents the operational structure of Uruguay's late nineteenth century banking system: centralized engraving and signature production, followed by departmental control through localized overprint application. Read more →

Uruguay 1870 - Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 Centesimos, Junta de Credito Publico (“Cow Head”) Serial 274594 (Pick A109b)

The intricate intaglio work, produced entirely on native presses, is remarkable for its precision given the technical limits of the time. Each note was individually signed by members of the Junta, whose autographs authenticated the government guarantee before mechanical signatures were introduced later in the decade. The scalloped left edge, cut by a special press, served as an anti-counterfeiting device unique among South American issues of the nineteenth century. 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 →

Canada 1896 - Bank of Nova Scotia 20 Dollars Front and Back Proofs (Pick Unlisted)

Matched front and back proof pair of the 20 Dollars banknote issued by The Bank of Nova Scotia of Halifax, Nova Scotia, dated 22 July 1896. Engraved and printed by the American Bank Note Company of New York, the pair documents the approval stage of one of the most elaborate chartered banknote designs produced in Canada during the late nineteenth century. Read more →

Honduras 1863 - 5 Pesos Treasury Bond Vale de Hacienda República Libre, Soberano e Independiente (Pick 7)

This 5 Pesos vale de hacienda was issued by the Republic of Honduras under the decree of 2 March 1863 and represents one of the earliest surviving treasury obligations of the Honduran republic. During the mid-nineteenth century Honduras lacked a formal banking system and frequently relied on treasury vales such as this to finance government operations and supplement the limited supply of metallic currency. Read more →

Uruguay 1896 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1 Peso Sepia Photographic Proof Pair (Pick Unlisted)

The obverse features a formal portrait of José Gervasio Artigas within an elaborate late-nineteenth-century ornamental frame of scrollwork and guilloche, with the denomination prominently displayed in a central cartouche. The composition emphasizes symmetry, legibility, and visual authority consistent with American Bank Note Company practice of the period. Read more →

Uruguay 1896 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 5 Pesos Photographic Proof Pair (Pick Unlisted)

The obverse features a formal portrait of José Gervasio Artigas set within an ornate late-nineteenth-century framework of scrollwork, floral ornament, and dense guilloche patterns. The denomination is integrated into a balanced cartouche arrangement emphasizing symmetry, legibility, and visual authority consistent with American Bank Note Company practice of the period. Read more →