Collection PL

New Zealand 1916-1920 - Bank of New Zealand £5 Red-Rose (Orange Lineage) with Serial Number Prefix Specimen (Pick S227s)

Within the BNZ color lineage, the £5 denomination occupies the warm-tone tier established by the pre-war £5 Orange issues of 1895–1915. Wartime pigment constraints and paper rationing produced a tonal shift toward red-rose or salmon while preserving the same functional position within the denomination hierarchy. This note documents the wartime evolution of that established £5 color lineage, not a separate color class. Read more →

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

The reverse artwork was executed under the artistic supervision of Wacław Borowski and engraved by Włodzimierz Vacek, two of the most accomplished figures in pre-war Polish graphic arts. It portrays an allegorical composition symbolizing the productive power of the nation - agriculture, industry, and the arts united under the newly reborn Republic. In the full design, this imagery was intended to balance the classical portrait of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski on the face of the note, expressing the connection between patriotic tradition and modern progress. Read more →

Australia 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. Read more →

Uruguay 1935 - Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 500 Pesos Large-Format Presentation Photo Proof Pair (Pick Unlisted)

A large-format photographic presentation proof pair for the 1935 500 Pesos issue produced by the American Bank Note Company for the Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay. As part of Uruguay’s pre-war unified design program, the 500 Pesos denomination occupied a senior position within the series, below the 1,000 Pesos but above the standard circulation values. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Departamento de Emisión del Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 500 Pesos Photographic Proof Pair (Pick Unlisted)

The obverse features a classical female head in profile, framed within an ornate architectural cartouche and accompanied by the full denomination and national arms. Executed with dense guilloche engraving and carefully balanced tonal modulation, the design reflects American Bank Note Company’s mature interwar style, combining symbolic restraint with technical precision. Read more →

Egypt 1914–1915 - Egyptian Red Crescent Society (Khedivial Era Membership Receipts, Two-Document Set)

Pair of original Egyptian Red Crescent Society membership receipts from 1914 and 1915, both issued on cream wove paper and printed with the early Khedivial-era layout. Each sheet carries the large red Crescent emblem at top center, rendered in thick oil-based ink with slight unevenness at the edges typical of hand-inked early Red Crescent forms. Beneath the emblem appears the full institutional title in classical Arabic script, followed by the patronage line noting the protection of the Khedivial household and the presidency of His Highness Prince Mohamed Ali. The text block is printed in fine black letterpress with the characteristic spacing and font weight used by the Society’s pre-war printing office. Read more →

Egypt 1911 - The Odeon Hall, Cairo Gold Watch Repair Invoice

Early 1911 invoice from The Odeon Hall in Cairo, one of the city’s most modern pre-war establishments combining gramophone sales, watchmaking, and luxury retail. Issued for the repair of a gold watch, the bilingual French–Arabic letterhead advertises phonographs, records, and precision horological services, reflecting Egypt’s rapid adoption of European technology and leisure culture. Read more →

Egypt 1912 - Allen, Alderson & Co. Machinery Agents, Alexandria (Illustrated Letterhead)

Five meticulously engraved vignettes dominate the upper portion of the page: a drop-valve engine, tandem compound engine, Lancashire boiler, centrifugal pump, and grinding mill. These illustrations reflect the high-precision engraving style used in late Victorian and Edwardian British engineering catalogues, designed to showcase technical quality and inspire confidence among industrial clients. 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. The wide geographical spread reflects the institution’s pre-war ambition to operate as a global correspondent house linking European capital with Asian and Middle Eastern commercial centers. Read more →

Egypt 1912 - Compagnie des Bateaux Omnibus (Nile Steamer Illustrated Letterhead)

The Compagnie des Bateaux Omnibus played a significant role in Egypt's pre-war transport landscape. Before the expansion of rail lines and motor roads, river steamers were the most reliable means of long-distance domestic movement. Companies such as C.B.O. offered scheduled services for tourists headed to archaeological sites, contract haulage for merchants, and postal transport for the government. Their illustrated stationery served not only as business documentation but also as promotional material, emphasizing safety, reliability, and modernity to Egyptian and foreign clients alike. Read more →

Poland 1940 - 10 Zlotych Bank Emisyjny w Polsce Prefix C Kraków Issue Approval Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The obverse follows established Polish banknote conventions developed during the late interwar period. Allegorical female figures, symmetrical composition, and restrained ornamentation reflect a conscious continuation of pre-1939 visual language. This continuity was intentional: for a denomination intended for frequent everyday use, recognizability and formal stability took precedence over stylistic innovation. Read more →

Poland 1940 - 20 Zlotych Bank Emisyjny w Polsce Prefix A Kraków Issue Approval Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The artistic program is deliberate and historically anchored. Allegorical figures flank the central denomination panel in a restrained classical idiom that continues the visual language of late interwar Polish banknotes. Rather than introducing a new aesthetic, the issuing authority preserved familiar compositional structures associated with order, continuity, and institutional legitimacy. In the context of occupation, this was a calculated design choice: authority was asserted through familiarity rather than disruption. Read more →