Collection PL

Uruguay 1896 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 10 Pesos Serie A Sepia Photographic Proof Pair, Dated 29 April 1925 (Pick Unlisted)

The central DIEZ PESOS panel is surrounded by dense floral ornament, scrolling foliage, geometric security structures, repeated denomination devices, and layered line patterns. Large ten-pesos numerals occupy the four corners and side panels, while a broad lower value panel reinforces the denomination. The face is organized to remain immediately legible despite the complexity of the surrounding ornamental work. Read more →

Uruguay 1896 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 10 Pesos Series A Photographic Proof Pair (Pick Unlisted)

Prepared for the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay, this photographic proof pair preserves a complete face-and-reverse design for the ten pesos denomination authorized under the law of 4 August 1896. Produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company Limited, the two monochrome photographic impressions document the proposed banknote through its denomination structure, Series A serial arrangement, legal wording, institutional imagery, national arms, architectural vignette, ornamental borders, and reserved portrait areas. Read more →

Uruguay 1896 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 100 Pesos Photographic Proof Pair, Series A (Pick Unlisted)

The face is constructed around a highly symmetrical arrangement of two oval portrait medallions. At left appears Juan Antonio Lavalleja, the military leader associated with the Thirty-Three Orientals and the struggle that led toward Uruguayan independence. At right appears Manuel Oribe, the second constitutional president of Uruguay and a central political and military figure of the nineteenth century. Their opposing profiles create a formal historical dialogue across the denomination. Read more →

Japan 1800 - Edo Period 5 Momme Silver Hansatsu with Daikokuten Reverse and Oil Merchant Validation Seal Woodblock Printed on Handmade Washi Paper

This hansatsu belongs to the final pre-modern monetary landscape before the Meiji reforms of the nineteenth century. In the 1870s, Japan abolished the old domain currencies and moved toward a centralized national money system. Surviving notes like this preserve the older world that came before: a world where paper money could be a silver certificate, a merchant instrument, a religiously charged object, and a regional promise of value all at the same time. Read more →

Argentina 1876 - Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte Specimen (Pick S1880s)

As such, this piece constitutes a structurally unique archival artifact documenting provincial private banknote authorization in nineteenth-century Argentina. Its importance lies not in circulation history, but in its role as the sole surviving physical evidence of a San Juan-specific monetary issue during Argentina’s brief era of provincial financial autonomy. Read more →

Argentina 1876 - Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte Condor Vignette (Bradbury Wilkinson and Company)

Vignette dies formed an important part of nineteenth-century security-printing production. Individual pictorial elements were engraved and proofed separately, allowing the printer to examine line quality, tonal depth, detail and overall appearance before combining them with borders, lettering, denomination devices and other elements of the finished banknote. This proof therefore documents an intermediate stage between the original engraving work and the completed Banco de San Juan note. Read more →

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

Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company’s involvement underscores the depth of British penetration into Argentina’s provincial financial infrastructure during the nineteenth century. Provincial banks commissioned London engravers not merely for technical security, but to project legitimacy, permanence, and alignment with international commercial norms in regions where paper money acceptance was fragile. Read more →

Argentina 1876 - Banco de San Juan 5 Pesos Fuertes Central Portrait Vignette (Bradbury Wilkinson and Company)

The corresponding Banco de San Juan specimen is dated 1876 and cataloged as Pick S1881s. It carries serial number D 006001 and a perforated SPECIMEN / BW&Co cancellation. The completed specimen preserves the same portrait engraving in its final position within the banknote composition. Read more →

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

The obverse is defined by the portrait of Emilia Plater, one of the most prominent female figures of Polish national memory. Her image draws directly from nineteenth-century patriotic iconography associated with the November Uprising, where she emerged as a symbol of civic duty, sacrifice, and resistance. The inclusion of Plater on the front of a major denomination reflects a continuation of pre-war Polish practices that elevated historical figures representing national identity rather than contemporary political power. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 2000 Reales Vellón Serie E Issued Note No. 00286 (Pick S455)

This note is fully signed by all required officers, including the Comisario Regio, Director, Interventor, and Cajero. The prominent circular cancellation punch at center reflects standard Zaragoza redemption practice for high-denomination notes once withdrawn from circulation. Despite evident circulation wear, the engraved detail remains bold, preserving the distinctive mid-nineteenth-century Madrid-school engraving style used for Zaragoza’s emissions. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 2000 Reales Vellón Serie E Issued Consecutive Pair No. 00031–00032 (Pick S455)

Both notes are fully executed with manuscript signatures of the Comisario Regio, Director, Interventor, and Cajero, and each displays the characteristic circular cancellation punch applied upon redemption. Despite circulation wear consistent with their function, the engraved detail remains clear, retaining the distinctive mid-nineteenth-century Madrid-school engraving style employed for Zaragoza’s 1857 series. Read more →

New Caledonia 1871 - French Treasury Second of Exchange for 2,000 Francs (Service des Colonies)

As a historical artifact, this document provides direct insight into the mechanics of French colonial finance in the late nineteenth century. It records the practical operation of treasury credit, legal redundancy, and administrative oversight at a moment when New Caledonia was transitioning from penal-colony administration toward a more structured colonial economy governed through centralized fiscal authority. Read more →