Collection

Mexico 1884 – Fábrica de Tunal 1 Peso (Pick Unlisted, ABNC)

Context — Porfiriato industrial finance (1876–1911): In the 1880s, Mexico’s northern mining belt (Durango–Zacatecas–Coahuila) expanded under Porfirio Díaz’s pro-investment policies. Private companies routinely paid workers and contractors with bearer notes redeemable in silver on demand. These instruments sat between payroll scrip and banknotes: fully engraved, serialed, and legally payable al portador en moneda de plata, but issued by corporations rather than chartered banks. ... Read more →

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

Unsigned photographic proof of a $50 Circular Note produced by Thomas Cook & Son around 1904. Circular Notes were the forerunners of modern travellers cheques. Issued to clients of the Cook travel agency, they allowed holders to draw equivalent cash abroad through the firm’s authorized banking correspondents. ... Read more →

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

Photographic proof of a £5 Thomas Cook & Son Travellers Cheque produced in the early 1920s. By this period, Cook’s cheques had become internationally recognized instruments accepted throughout the British Empire and allied banking networks. The £5 denomination served travelers within the United Kingdom and on continental routes, combining portability with the firm’s guarantee of redemption through its global offices. ... Read more →

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

Unsigned photographic proof of a 100 Rupees Travellers Cheque by Thomas Cook & Son, produced circa 1923 for issue in British India and adjoining territories. These rupee-denominated cheques were part of Cook’s regional adaptation strategy, allowing British and colonial travelers to draw funds in local currency without transporting specie. Each carried detailed bilingual text, ornate guilloche borders, and a space for dual signatures—of the purchaser and the company cashier—mirroring the format later used by standardized travellers cheques. ... Read more →