Collection PL

Italy 1871–1872 — Banca Italo-Germanica 250 Lire Specimen (Pick S976s)

An exceptional and academically important survival from the experimental phase of Italy’s early post-unification banking era, this 250 Lire specimen from the short-lived Banca Italo-Germanica, cataloged as Pick S976s, represents one of the rarest and most ambitious private note-issuing projects attempted in Rome during the 1870s. No issued examples of this type are known to exist, and all scholarship indicates that the bank’s banknote program collapsed before any notes entered circulation, leaving only a microscopic number of presentation pulls, proofs, or internal printer’s archive sheets. This PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated example is the sole graded specimen in the PMG census, making it both Top Pop and Only Pop. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1896 — Bank of Australasia £50 Christchurch Proof (Pick Unlisted)

This proof represents a pre issue banknote of the Bank of Australasia, denominated Fifty Pounds and prepared for the Christchurch office during the late nineteenth century expansion of British chartered banking in New Zealand. It was produced as part of the institution internal design approval and presentation process and was never intended for public circulation. The Bank of Australasia, incorporated by Royal Charter in 1835, operated as one of the dominant British joint stock banks across Australia and New Zealand. ... Read more →

Australia 1835-1850 - Bank of Australasia £10 Melbourne Proof (Pick Unlisted)

This proof represents a pre-issue banknote of the Bank of Australasia, denominated Ten Pounds and prepared for the Melbourne office during the institution early period of operation. It was produced as part of the bank internal approval and presentation process and was not intended for circulation. The Bank of Australasia was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1835 and operated as one of the earliest British joint-stock banks active in Australia. ... Read more →

Australia 1905–1910 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Specimen Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Proof specimen printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. between 1905 and 1910 for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED — one of Australia’s oldest and most respected private banks, founded in 1834. The CBC operated independently until its 1981 merger with the National Bank of Australasia, forming today’s NAB. ... Read more →

New Zealand ND (1924-1933) - Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings Proof, Perforated SPECIMEN (Pick S161s)

Printers archival proof for the Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings, classified in the Standard Catalog and grading records as New Zealand Pick S161s (ND 1924-1933) and produced in London by Charles Skipper and East. This piece was never intended for circulation. It was created as part of the printers internal proofing, approval, and archival process and survives as a workshop original documenting the final approved design for a denomination that ultimately never entered public issue. ... Read more →

New Zealand ND (1924-1933) - Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings Oversized Proof, Perforated SPECIMEN (Pick S161s)

Printers archival oversized proof for the Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings, classified in the Standard Catalog and grading records as New Zealand Pick S161s (ND 1924-1933) and produced in London by Charles Skipper and East. This example survives on an oversized, untrimmed sheet and represents the most internal and earliest preserved production state of the design. Although cataloged under New Zealand, the design belongs to the broader Australasian operating structure of the Bank of New South Wales, a trans Tasman institution active in both Australia and New Zealand. ... Read more →

Argentina 1883 — Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires 2 Pesos Oro Proof (Pick S536fp)

Superb proof engraving prepared by the American Bank Note Company for the Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, dated 19 de Enero de 1883. The design features an equestrian vignette at center symbolizing progress and vitality, flanked by portraits of Florencio Varela and Valentín Alsina, two influential figures in Argentina’s political and intellectual life. Printed directly from ABNC master plates in black ink on thin India paper and mounted on card stock, this piece confirms its pre-issue proof status. ... Read more →

Argentina 1867 — Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 4 Reales Plata Boliviana Proof (Pick S1734p)

Archival proof printed by the American Bank Note Company for the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata, dated 1 Enero 1867 and assigned to the Rosario branch. This fractional 4 Reales denomination belongs to the transitional pre-peso period when Argentine provincial banks still operated under the 'Moneda Boliviana' standard inherited from regional trade with Bolivia and Peru. The design features a central bull’s head vignette framed by intricate ornamental borders — a unique choice among Argentine banknotes. ... 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)

A printer’s proof of a £5 note prepared for the Derby Bank during the formative years of British provincial banking, dating to circa 1806–1812. This piece belongs to the critical transitional period between eighteenth-century handwritten credit instruments and the fully industrialized, security-driven banknote production that would dominate the nineteenth century. At the time this proof was produced, Britain’s monetary system was still decentralized. ... Read more →

Italy 1866 — Credito Fondiario di Bologna 50 Lire Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Specimen proof of the 50 Lire issue from the Credito Fondiario di Bologna, engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. and dated 1866. Credito Fondiario institutions specialized in long-term, mortgage-backed lending—a key innovation in Italy’s financial system, providing stability and funding for agricultural and urban development at a time when the new Kingdom was still economically fragmented. ... Read more →

Luxembourg 1982 — 1000 Francs Proof Grand Duchess Charlotte (Pick 52bp)

Plate proof of the 1982 one thousand francs issue of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, representing the earliest finalized stage of the design before specimen marking, color testing, or production handling. As the highest denomination of the series, this proof captures the complete engraving program at its purest state—prior to overprints, serial application, or cancellation. Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, the note displays the full intaglio structure exactly as prepared for final production. ... Read more →