Collection PL

Bolivia 1904 - Banco Nacional 5 Bolivianos Specimen (Pick S2143s)

Graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated and standing at the top of the population report, this example ranks as the finest known for the type. Beyond rarity, it illustrates both the artistry of BWC’s export engravings and the transitional stage of Bolivia’s financial system in the early 1900s-when private banks carried national currency responsibility. As such, it is a cornerstone type for collectors of Bolivian paper money and a reference piece for the study of South American banknote history. Read more →

Bolivia 1903 - Banco Agricola 5 Bolivianos Front Progressive Proof and Back Proof Pair (Pick S102pp1, S102p2)

Together, the two proofs show the complete visual program prepared for the 5 Bolivianos denomination. The pairing makes it possible to study the note as a full design rather than as an isolated side, including the relationship between the front's institutional and agricultural imagery and the reverse's more concentrated rural theme. Read more →

Poland 1936 - 50 Zlotych Reverse Progressive Proof (Pick 78pp2)

Certified PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated and recorded as the single finest known (Top Pop), this impression displays an extraordinary clarity of line and untouched color balance - qualities seldom seen even in surviving production materials. Under magnification, one can study the early offset texture, faint guide marks, and micro-registration cues later eliminated from the master plates. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Color Trial Specimen (Omar al-Mukhtar Portrait, Pick 37cts)

At the time of cataloging, this is the only graded color trial specimen recorded for the 10 Dinars denomination of this series. PMG lists no additional examples of Pick 37cts, and no institutional or auction records document a second specimen. Its rarity derives not from condition scarcity but from production-stage uniqueness. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya Omar al-Mukhtar Intaglio Vignette Proof (Portrait Master for 10 Dinars Issue)

This intaglio vignette proof represents the master engraved portrait of Omar al-Mukhtar prepared for the Central Bank of Libya’s post-monarchy currency redesign introduced in 1971. The vignette constitutes a standalone production artifact, engraved independently of any completed banknote and intended for transfer into the face plate of the new 10 Dinars issue following final approval. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Specimen (Omar al-Mukhtar Portrait, Pick 37s)

This example is graded PMG 58 EPQ Choice About Uncirculated and is recorded as the only graded specimen for Pick 37s. While issued notes of Pick 37 survive in quantity, specimen examples were produced in extremely limited numbers and were typically withdrawn or destroyed once distribution and training purposes were fulfilled. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37a, Without Arabic Inscription)

This note represents the earliest circulation variety of the Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars issue introduced in 1971, featuring the portrait of Omar al-Mukhtar and classified as Pick 37a. It was released into circulation without the Arabic legal inscription along the lower margin that would later be added to the series, marking this variety as the initial production state of the issued note. Read more →

Libya 1972 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37b, With Arabic Inscription)

As with the earlier variety, the note circulated normally and was subject to wear, redemption, and replacement. High-grade examples with original paper quality preserve the clarity of both the intaglio portrait and the added inscription, allowing precise study of the production sequence. Read more →

Paraguay 1907 - 100 Pesos with 1912 State Overprint (Pick 134, Base Pick 159)

This certified example is especially important because issued 1912 overprint notes normally survived in circulated condition. High-denomination emergency paper was not produced for collectors; it was made to solve an immediate fiscal problem and was expected to work in the economy. Most examples were handled, redeemed, withdrawn, damaged, or lost. A PMG 65 EPQ Gem Uncirculated survivor with original paper quality is therefore extraordinary. The grade places this note at the very top level of preservation for the type, and the EPQ designation confirms the exceptional originality of the paper surface. Read more →

Barbados 1943 - Government of Barbados 100 Dollars Prefix AA Front and Back Archival Photograph Pair (Pick Unlisted)

These photographs were produced as part of internal design and approval workflows, serving as durable reference records for engraving detail, typographic placement, and overall layout. During the Second World War, proposed high-denomination issues across the British West Indies were frequently postponed or abandoned due to material constraints, security considerations, and shifting fiscal priorities. Archival photographic records preserved approved or provisional designs without committing to engraving plates or printed issues. Read more →

Ireland 1920 - Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound Proof (Pick 388p / UB39)

This 1920 Ulster Bank Limited 1 Pound proof is a completed proof-stage example of one of the most visually distinctive private-bank issues from Ireland before partition. Dated Belfast, 1st June 1920, and bearing serial number A 00,005, the note belongs to the Ireland category rather than the later Northern Ireland issue structure. Its PMG classification as Proof, together with the Pick 388p and UB39 references, places it among the specialized archival forms of Ulster Bank Limited's early twentieth-century note production. Read more →

Great Britain c.1806–1812 - Derby Bank £5 Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Graded PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated, this example preserves sharp plate impressions, strong black ink, and intact original paper, offering an unusually clear window into early nineteenth-century engraving practice. It documents the moment when British banknote production was shifting from artisanal engraving toward the systematic security printing methods that would later be perfected by firms such as Perkins, Bacon & Company. Read more →