Collection PL

United States 1929 Type 2 — 5 Dollars National Bank Note — The First National Bank of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Fr. 1800-2, Charter 1, PMG 20 Very Fine)

Issued by The First National Bank of Philadelphia under Charter 1 — the very first federal national bank charter granted following the National Banking Act of 1863 — this five-dollar note represents the closing generation of National Currency printed before the system ended in the 1930s. Charter 1 defined the origin of federally chartered banking in the United States, anchoring Philadelphia’s financial network through multiple eras: Civil War greenbacks, Gilded Age expansion, and the economic transitions of the early twentieth century. Its officers, including C. ... Read more →

Australia 1965 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited $20 Travellers Cheque Rejected Design Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Rejected design proof for the proposed 20 Dollars traveller’s cheque printed and engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Submitted in 1965 and annotated “Not Approved,” it represents a parallel concept in the three-denomination traveller’s cheque proposal of that year. The composition features elegant guilloche borders in blue-green and lavender hues, overprinted with a large central watermark-style globe bearing the bank’s initials C.B.C. ... Read more →

Egypt 1918 — Banque Belge pour l’Étranger, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original cheque issued by the Cairo branch of Banque Belge pour l'Étranger on 2 September 1918, produced during the final phase of the First World War. The form is printed on light cream security stock with a richly engraved Art Nouveau header. Along the left margin runs a vertical ornamental cartouche enclosing the bank’s interlocking monogram and the legend BANQUE BELGE POUR L'ÉTRANGER – LE CAIRE, framed by a list of the bank’s principal branches in BRUXELLES, LONDRES, ROTTERDAM, LE CAIRE, ALEXANDRIE, SHANGHAI, PEKIN and TIENTSIN. ... Read more →

Egypt 1923 — Banco di Roma, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original Banco di Roma cheque issued in Cairo on 17 November 1923, printed on cream security paper with a richly engraved Roman header characteristic of interwar Italian banknote and cheque design. At the upper left, within an elaborate vertical cartouche of scrollwork and rosettes, appears the iconic Capitoline Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus. This emblem served as the visual shorthand for Banco di Roma's institutional identity and its projection of Italian national symbolism abroad. ... 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 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 →

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 1968 — Government of Barbados 500 Dollars Treasury Bill, Specimen, Perforated Cancelled, Prefix A

Specimen Treasury Bill issued by the Government of Barbados under the authority of the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922, produced for internal reference and administrative control rather than circulation or fiscal settlement. The document carries a printed denomination of five hundred dollars and defines an obligation payable out of the Consolidated Fund at any commercial bank in Barbados or at the Treasury. The place of issue is identified as Bridgetown, confirming its role within the central administrative framework of the Barbadian state. ... 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 5,000 Dollars Treasury Bill, Specimen, Red Overprint, Punch Hole Cancelled, Prefix C

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 reference, accounting control, and archival purposes. The note is denominated at five thousand dollars and forms part of the upper range of Barbados Treasury Bill denominations, distinct from the extreme high-value issues produced for exceptional treasury requirements. The note is printed in the official multicolour security design, featuring an ornate guilloche frame and a dense repeating “Government of Barbados” background pattern 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 1975 — Government of Barbados 50,000 Dollars Treasury Bill, Specimen, Perforated SPECIMEN, Prefix F (Atypical for Denomination)

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 internal specimen retained for treasury control, audit reference, and archival purposes. The denomination of fifty thousand dollars places this bill among the highest-value Treasury Bills produced for Barbados. While 50,000-dollar Treasury Bills are normally associated with prefix E, this specimen carries prefix F, documenting a distinct internal serial configuration used for this specific control issue. ... Read more →