Collection PL

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Discovery AR Prefix with Red Overprint and Oval Stamp Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Serial AR0000000 is the principal prefix diagnostic. The all-zero numbering identifies the note as specimen material, while the AR prefix places it within a previously undocumented control group for the 1994 50 Zlotych issue. The red specimen markings and punch cancellations establish its controlled non-circulating status while preserving the complete production design. Read more →

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Discovery AR Prefix Perforated SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The face preserves the complete 50 Zlotych design prepared for the National Bank of Poland, with the portrait of King Casimir III the Great, the Polish eagle, the denomination PIĘĆDZIESIĄT ZŁOTYCH, the large 50 value device at left, the National Bank of Poland title, the Warsaw date of 25 March 1994, and the printed signatures of Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz and Wieslaw Biernatowicz. Read more →

Egypt 1943 - Cyril IX Moghabghab, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch (Signed Patriarchal Letter, Alexandria)

Addressed to Dr. Tawfiq Hajjar in Cairo, the letter opens with the formal Melkite invocation of peace and apostolic blessing. However, its content is explicitly political, offering a rare glimpse into the diplomatic and intercessory functions of the Patriarchate during the final months of World War II and immediately before the proclamation of Lebanese independence (November 1943). Hajjar had requested patriarchal support for his appointment as a Lebanese political representative in the Egyptian kingdom. Cyril IX acknowledges this request and commends Hajjar’s standing among Cairo’s senior figures, noting that his reputation strengthens the legitimacy of the proposed appointment. Read more →

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 →

Uruguay 1872 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 100 Pesos = 10 Doblones Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

This specimen was never intended for circulation. Its preservation without signs of handling, together with specimen markings and the absence of circulation wear, confirms its role as a controlled archival reference. While issued examples of this type are historically documented, no confirmed issued survivors are presently traceable, and none approach the clarity, completeness, or condition of this specimen. Read more →

Paraguay 1907 - 100 Pesos with 1912 Dual-Side State and Treasury Revalidation Overprint Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Among recorded Paraguayan emergency issues, the dual-side state and treasury revalidation format is virtually in a class of its own. It is not simply another overprint variety. It is a surviving document of how Paraguay attempted to defend official monetary credibility at a moment when ordinary paper value, legal value, and gold-referenced value were no longer the same thing in practice. The second overprint is therefore the key historical feature: it confirms that this note was not only reissued, but reviewed, fiscalized, and tied back to the higher official “Diez Pesos Oro Sellado” standard. As a Pick-unlisted specimen, base Pick 159, and R9 Extremely Rare survivor, it stands as a museum-grade crown piece of Paraguayan emergency paper money. Read more →

China 1880 - Sinkiang Textile Emergency Currency Cloth Note (Pick Unlisted)

Cloth emergency currencies of this type have an exceptionally low survival rate. Their organic material, combined with heavy circulation and lack of archival preservation, resulted in widespread loss. Documented institutional examples are extremely limited, and confirmed private holdings are few. At present, only a single verifiable example of this specific type is known. Read more →

China 1915 - South Sinkiang Border Defence Headquarters 1 Tael Textile Emergency Issue (Pick Unlisted)

At present, only one example of this specific 1 tael textile issue is documented. There are no confirmed specimens recorded in the holdings of the British Museum, the American Numismatic Society, the Smithsonian Institution, or major Chinese public collections. No repeat auction appearances or archival groupings are known. On the basis of observable, verifiable evidence alone, the issue qualifies as R9 - unique. Read more →

China 1918 - Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

Textile emergency currency of this type was issued as functional money for everyday transactions, provisioning, and local settlement in environments where paper currency was unavailable or impractical. Once monetary conditions stabilized, such notes were typically withdrawn and destroyed, accounting for their extremely low survival rate. Read more →

China 1920 - Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

The note was issued as functional money, not as symbolic or ceremonial material. Textile currency of this type was intended for everyday transactions, provisioning, and local settlement in environments where paper currency was unavailable or impractical. Once monetary conditions stabilized, such notes were typically withdrawn and destroyed, resulting in extremely low survival rates. Read more →

China 1921 - Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth with Sun Emblem (Pick Unlisted)

Textile emergency currency of this type was issued as functional money for everyday transactions, provisioning, and local settlement in environments where conventional paper currency was unavailable or impractical. Once monetary conditions stabilized and centralized systems expanded, such cloth notes were withdrawn and destroyed, resulting in extremely low survival rates. Read more →

China 1922 - Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

No catalog listing, institutional reference, or documented parallel example corresponding to this specific textile type is known. Under the collection’s evidence-based classification system, this note is treated as a single known example at present and classified as R9. Read more →