Collection PL

Great Britain ca. 1904 — Thomas Cook & Son $50 Circular Note Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

A photographic proof of the 50 Dollars Circular Note produced for Thomas Cook and Son circa 1904, representing a pre-issue production artifact created during the final design and approval phase of one of the earliest globally recognized private payment instruments. This proof predates finished circulation notes and preserves the engraved face as prepared for reproduction rather than for direct financial use. These instruments are directly related to what later became known as Travellers Cheque and Travelers Check systems and are often collected within the same category of early international payment instruments. ... Read more →

Great Britain ca. 1922 — Thomas Cook & Son Travellers Cheque £5 Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

A photographic proof of the £5 Travellers Cheque issued by Thomas Cook & Son in the early 1920s, produced during the post–First World War consolidation phase of the firm’s international payment system. This proof represents a pre-issue production artifact created for design verification and internal reference prior to finalized cheque issuance. By the early 1920s, Thomas Cook & Son had established one of the most extensive private financial networks in the world. ... Read more →

Great Britain ca. 1923 — Thomas Cook & Son Travellers Cheque 100 Rupees Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

A photographic proof of the 100 Rupees Travellers Cheque produced by Thomas Cook & Son circa 1923, created as part of the design verification and internal approval process for the firm’s rupee-denominated instruments intended for use across British India and associated territories. This proof represents a distinct production-stage artifact documenting the engraved face prior to finalized cheque issuance. By the early 1920s, Thomas Cook & Son had fully transitioned from a travel agency into a global financial intermediary, operating one of the most extensive private payment networks in the world. ... Read more →

Italy ND (1868) — Banco di Napoli Fede di Credito 50–200 Lire (Specimen)

Specimen Fede di Credito from the Banco di Napoli, engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. during the early years of the unified Kingdom of Italy. The Banco di Napoli traced its roots back to charitable institutions founded in 1539, making it one of Europe’s oldest surviving banks. ... Read more →

Italy 1869 — Credito Agricolo di Bologna 30 Lire (Specimen)

Specimen of the 30 Lire issue from the Credito Agricolo di Bologna, produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. during the consolidation years of Italian unification. The denomination itself—30 Lire—is highly unusual and appears linked to agricultural credit schemes and rural cooperative lending. ... Read more →

Italy 1866 — Credito Fondiario di Bologna 50 Lire (Specimen)

Specimen proof of the 50 Lire issue from the Credito Fondiario di Bologna, engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. and dated 1866. Credito Fondiario institutions specialized in long-term, mortgage-backed lending—a key innovation in Italy’s financial system, providing stability and funding for agricultural and urban development at a time when the new Kingdom was still economically fragmented. ... Read more →

Australia ca.1939 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Photographic proof of a £5 Travellers Cheque prepared for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED around 1939, mounted on cardstock and annotated at upper margin for archival use. This early pre-war layout marks one of the first generations of CBC traveller’s cheques, preceding the coloured issues of the 1960s. Produced during the late interwar period when secure portable payment instruments were vital for travel within the British Empire, this proof reflects the evolution of Australian financial printing in collaboration with Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London. ... Read more →

Australia ca.1963 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque Photographic Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Photographic proof of a £5 Travellers Cheque for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED, mounted on cardstock and dated '9/3/63' in pencil at the lower margin. Produced circa 1963 as part of the bank’s internal approval and recordkeeping process for its international traveller’s cheque program. In the mid-20th century, before widespread credit card adoption, traveller’s cheques were the safest form of portable currency for customers abroad. ... Read more →

Australia ca.1963 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Travellers Cheque Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Specimen traveller’s cheque for £5 issued by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, Limited. Printed in blue and green with the same allegorical vignette of a child with fleece used across the series, embodying the themes of trust, productivity, and growth. The CBC of Sydney was a cornerstone of Australian finance, founded in 1834 and later merging into the National Australia Bank. ... Read more →

Australia ca.1963 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £2 Travellers Cheque Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Specimen traveller’s cheque for £2 issued by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, Limited. Printed in green with an allegorical vignette depicting a child with fleece, symbolizing prosperity, trade, and trust — central ideals in Australian colonial iconography. Traveller’s cheques were part of a major postwar shift in how Australians accessed funds overseas. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 2018 — Monetary Authority $1 (Pick Unlisted, later Pick 38, Prefix D/6)

Issued one-dollar note from the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, dated 2018 and printed by Thomas De La Rue (TDLR). This early printing of the 2018 series originally appeared as an unlisted variety before it was catalogued under Pick 38 in later references. It carries serial number prefix D/6 and features the same design as subsequent printings — Queen Elizabeth II at right, reef fish vignette at lower left, and the national coat of arms at upper center. ... Read more →

Brazil 2010 — Banco Central 5 Reais (Pick Unlisted, later catalogued as Pick 253d)

Issued 5 Reais note from Banco Central do Brasil, dated 2010, bearing the classic Republica effigy at left and modern Brazilian fauna reverse. Printed by Casa da Moeda do Brasil (CdM-B), this note carries the signatures of E. Guardia and I. ... Read more →