Collection

Brazil 1963 — Tesouro Nacional 20 Cruzeiros (Front & Back Proof)

Superb archival proof of the 20 Cruzeiros note, produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Tesouro Nacional. Both obverse and reverse are mounted on a single presentation sheet, showcasing the portrait of Dom Pedro II at right and an allegorical vignette of reclining Industry on the reverse. The pair demonstrates the harmony of engraving and typographic composition typical of Brazil’s mid-century currency. ... Read more →

East Caribbean States 2019 — Central Bank 10 Dollars (Pick Unlisted, later catalogued as Pick 56a)

Issued 10 Dollars note from the East Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), dated 2019 and printed on polymer substrate by De La Rue. This variety was the first polymer $10 of the ECCB and initially appeared as an unlisted entry in the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money before being formally classified as Pick 56a. It carries updated security features including a clear polymer window with the ECCB logo, raised tactile marks, microtext, and color-shifting elements embedded in the vertical design format. ... Read more →

East Caribbean States 2019 — Central Bank 10 Dollars (Pick 56a)

Issued polymer 10 Dollars from the East Caribbean Central Bank, dated 2019 and catalogued as Pick 56a. This note belongs to the first vertical polymer series introduced by the ECCB as part of its modernization program across the currency union. Printed by De La Rue, it retains Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait on the obverse with the ECCB emblem and enhanced optical features including a see-through window and raised print for the visually impaired. ... Read more →

Bahamas 2019 — Central Bank 1/2 Dollar (Pick 76Aa)

Issued half-dollar (Pick 76Aa) printed by Oberthur Fiduciaire as part of the CRISP Evolution Series, the definitive redesign of the Bahamian dollar family. The note features a watermark of Queen Elizabeth II and the denomination '1/2', integrating advanced anti-counterfeiting technology and color-enhanced imagery reflecting the island’s marine and cultural identity. The 2019 CRISP Evolution release consolidated earlier printings that had circulated under provisional catalog numbers, such as the prior 'Pick Unlisted' entry now formalized as 76Aa. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 — 5 Cruzeiros (Specimen, Pick 176bs, TDLR, Top Pop)

Thomas De La Rue specimen of the 5 Cruzeiros denomination, showing red SPECIMEN overprint, circular punch cancels, and zero serials. Certified PMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated and noted Top Pop, this piece demonstrates the exceptional condition of De La Rue’s retained production samples. The 5 Cruzeiros was the entry-level note in the 1963 issue, combining classic British engraving motifs—crisp guilloche, strong vignette framing, and color separation—with Brazilian iconography. ... Read more →

Luxembourg ND (1982) — 1000 Francs (Specimen, Pick 52bs)

Specimen from Luxembourg’s cancelled 1982 emergency issue, the country’s most ambitious independent printing project of the 20th century. Technically it represents Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.’s final generation of deep-relief intaglio portraiture—Grand Duchess Charlotte rendered in a style already vanishing from European currency as photolithographic techniques took over. The 1000 Francs carried an exquisite guilloche architecture, tonal cross-hatching, and watermark placement calculated for mechanized verification rather than hand inspection. ... Read more →

Poland 1929 — 10 Złotych (Pick 69, CM#68) Issued, PWPW, PMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem

The 10 Złotych dated 20 June 1929 completed Bank Polski’s first modern post-stabilization currency series. Designed in Warsaw and printed by PWPW (Państwowa Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych), it brought a balanced Art-Deco neoclassical aesthetic that symbolized the Second Polish Republic’s recovery after early-1920s hyperinflation. Obverse: allegorical Industry and Agriculture flank the national arms within ornate guilloché and geometric framing. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 — Tesouro Nacional 10 Cruzeiros (Pick 167b, PMG 67 EPQ)

The 10 Cruzeiros note dated 1963 was issued by the Tesouro Nacional during the turbulent final years of Brazil’s first Cruzeiro monetary system. Printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York, it embodies the meticulous craftsmanship and classical design language for which ABNC was world-renowned. The obverse presents a formal engraved portrait of Getúlio Vargas, President of Brazil through two defining eras: his populist leadership of the 1930s and 1940s and his later return to power in the early 1950s. ... Read more →

North Macedonia 2003 - 500 Denari (Issued, Pick 21a) DA8148021 Golden Death Mask

Follow-up printing dated January 2003 that keeps the Golden Death Mask motif while adjusting color balance and guilloche. This note is a continuation of the 1996 design language rather than a clean redesign. It shows how the central bank maintained visual identity across a new date and production batch while keeping the same core symbol. ... Read more →

Ireland 1940 — Northern Bank Limited £1 (Pick 178b, PMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated)

Classic pre‑decimal £1 of Northern Bank Limited, Belfast, with the dramatic blue ONE counter across the center. Maritime and industrial vignettes reflect the bank’s Ulster customer base—shipping, linen, and engineering—and the note retains the ornate Victorian border language long favored by Northern Irish issuers. This is the black‑prefix and black‑serial variety recorded for 1940 within Pick 178b. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1985 — 100 Dollars (Pick 175bs, S.T. Russell Signature, Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE', PMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated)

Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' specimen of the 1985–89 100 Dollars note, signed by S.T. Russell as Chief Cashier and printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Company for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Perforated specimens like this were retained in De La Rue and BWC archives for internal control and reference, rarely escaping destruction once design revisions began. ... Read more →

United States 1872 – State of South Carolina $50 Revenue Bond Scrip (Act of March 2, 1872, Columbia Issue, PMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated)

The fifty-dollar Revenue Bond Scrip authorized by the Act of March 2, 1872, stands among the most elaborate and symbolically charged notes of Reconstruction-era South Carolina. Produced by the American Bank Note Company of New York, these notes were issued to pay state obligations and to function as tax receipts, serving as both a medium of exchange and an assertion of solvency during a turbulent postwar decade. The design balances artistry and propaganda. ... Read more →