Collection PL

New Zealand 1907–1926 — Bank of New Zealand £20 Blue Serial-Prefix Audit Specimen (Pick S194s)

A unique high-denomination Bradbury Wilkinson audit-range specimen and the rarest surviving document from New Zealand’s private-banknote era, the £20 Blue (Pick S194s) represents the apex of BNZ’s color-coded denomination hierarchy. This specimen is not a generic zero-serial example: it carries dual live serials (No. 061001 and No. ... Read more →

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

The first Bank of New Zealand specimen and the foundation of the country’s pre-Reserve Bank note lineage. Engraved and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, London, this one pound green specimen (Pick S191s) established the visual architecture reused throughout all later BNZ issues: paired Māori figures at left, an engraved coastal vignette below, and an ornate duty-tint panel framing the ONE POUND denomination. This design became the structural and visual origin of the Bank of New Zealand color lineage that defined New Zealand’s early commercial-bank currency. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1981 — 100 Dollars (Pick 175as, H.R. Hardie Signature, Vertical Perforated SPECIMEN, Black Overprint, Serial YAA000000, Specimen No. 016, PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated)

The 1981 one hundred dollars specimen represents a later-stage development in New Zealand’s decimal currency specimen formats, issued during the ND (1981–1985) period under the signature of H.R. Hardie as Chief Cashier. This note belongs to the revised Hardie design phase, distinguished by the updated portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, reflecting the mature visual identity of the series. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1985 — 100 Dollars (Pick 175bs, S.T. Russell Signature, Black Overprint SPECIMEN, Dual Oval Stamps, Specimen No. 004, Serial YAC000000, PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated)

The 1985 one hundred dollars specimen represents one of the most complex and information-rich specimen formats produced during the final paper-currency era of New Zealand, issued within the ND (1985–1989) period under the signature of S.T. Russell as Chief Cashier. This series marks the closing stage of the traditional engraved paper hundreds before the transition to polymer. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1992 — 100 Dollars (Pick 181s, Rutherford Design, Vertical Red SPECIMEN Overprint, Printer-Annotated TDLR Specimen, PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated)

The 1992 one hundred dollars specimen marks the introduction of the Rutherford design and the beginning of New Zealand’s final paper currency series before the transition to polymer. Issued by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company, London, this note replaces the long-standing Queen Elizabeth II portrait with Lord Ernest Rutherford of Nelson, symbolizing a decisive shift toward national scientific identity within the country’s banknote iconography. This example represents a complex internal printer specimen, combining multiple control and approval features rarely encountered together on a single note. ... 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 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 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 →