Collection PL

Italy 1781 - Regie Finanze di Torino 5 Scudi Front Proof Sheet (Pick Unlisted)

This 1781 five scudi front proof sheet must therefore be regarded as a museum-grade monetary artifact of the highest order. It documents the mechanics of early Italian state paper money production at the sheet level and preserves primary evidence of Savoyard fiscal practice in the pre-central-bank era. Read more →

Italy 1745 - Regie Finanze di Torino - 100 Lire Back Proof, Pre-Date Control State (Pick Unlisted)

This proof sheet represents the back of the one hundred lire denomination prepared for the Regie Finanze of the Kingdom of Sardinia and preserves a pre-date control state in which the control framework is fully engraved but carries no engraved date. All elements originate from plate number two. The entire composition is enclosed within a rectangular ornamental frame and printed under full intaglio pressure on official laid paper, with plate impression clearly visible from the verso. Read more →

Italy 1746 - Regie Finanze di Torino - 100 Lire Back Proof, Fixed-Date Control State (Pick Unlisted)

The sheet format preserves full margins and original plate context, confirming that the impression was never prepared for circulation or cutting. No serial numbers, handwritten entries, signatures, or issuance markings are present. This fixed-date back proof sheet therefore records a finalized control stage within the production process of the one hundred lire issue while remaining a non-issued proof artifact. Read more →

Italy 1765 - Regie Finanze di Torino - 100 Lire Front Proof, Final Face State (Pick Unlisted)

This proof sheet represents the front of the one hundred lire denomination prepared for the Regie Finanze of the Kingdom of Sardinia and preserves the final face state dated Torino il p. Gen. 1765. The composition is engraved within a rectangular ornamental frame and printed under full intaglio pressure on official laid paper, with a clear plate impression visible from the verso. All elements originate from plate number two. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1970 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Unissued Back Photographic Proof

The Cayman Islands Currency Board operated within a conservative monetary framework characteristic of British Caribbean administration, where visual restraint, symmetry, and institutional clarity were prioritized in currency design. Within this system, back designs were not decorative afterthoughts but formal security surfaces, intended to reinforce legitimacy through structured ornamentation, controlled repetition, and disciplined use of negative space. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Issued Note (Pick 5e)

A key technical feature of this type is the turtle watermark, explicitly recorded on the PMG label. Watermark choices on small denomination notes in currency board systems were rarely arbitrary. They functioned as an easily testable authenticity marker for cash-handling environments while also serving as a national symbol suited to Cayman’s maritime identity. The combination of watermark, serial-prefix control, and De La Rue’s engraved framework reflects a mature security printing logic aimed at everyday circulation durability. Read more →

Poland 1928 - Bank Polski 20 Zlotych Archival Watermarked Paper (Miłczak 67)

R9 Extremely Rare. Archival watermark sheets for the unissued 1928 Bank Polski 20 Zlotych are known in only a handful of examples, all connected to the Thomas De La Rue archival group. This piece is museum-grade production evidence for the paper, watermark, portrait preparation, and security-printing ambition behind one of the rarest twentieth-century Polish banknote projects. Read more →

Cayman Islands 1970 - Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Unissued Back Photographic Proof

No serial numbers, legal text, signatures, or watermark positioning marks are present. The format confirms that this piece was never intended for circulation and instead functioned as internal design material used to assess tonal contrast, compositional balance, and engraving coherence prior to final production decisions. Read more →

Argentina 1869 - Banco Domingo Garbino, 1 Peso Fuerte Issued Note with Red Overprint (Pick S1802)

The large vertical red BANCO DOMINGO GARBINO overprint adds a second institutional layer to the already printed 1869 Oxandaburu y Garbino note. The underlying partnership identity remains visible beneath the overprint, allowing both stages of the note's history to be read directly from the same object. PMG likewise identifies Pick S1802 as an overprint on Argentina Pick S1791. Read more →

Argentina 1869 - Banco Domingo Garbino, 5 Pesos Fuertes Issued Note with Red Overprint (Pick S1803)

The underlying note itself reads EL BANCO OXANDABURU Y GARBINO, preserving the corrected GARBINO spelling directly in the 1869 printed design. This connects the note with the earlier 1867 Oxandaburu y Garvino issues from Gualeguaychu, where Domingo Luis Garbino's surname appeared on the printed notes as GARVINO. The surviving notes therefore document a clear printed progression from GARVINO in the 1867 partnership issue to GARBINO in the 1869 series. Read more →

New Zealand 1981 - 1 Dollar H.R. Hardie Signature Printer’s Annotation Specimen Star Serial AA000000* (Pick 169as)

A defining feature of this piece is the presence of handwritten printer’s annotation reading 'not approved' across the obverse, directly indicating its rejection or exclusion from final production approval. This annotation provides rare insight into internal quality control processes at Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, capturing a moment within the decision chain of banknote authorization. Read more →

Luxembourg Undated - 100 Francs Back Photographic Proof, Composition Study (Pick Unlisted)

Photographic proofs of this type were internal tools used to refine composition before committing to engraving. They document the evolution of a design rather than presenting a separate or competing concept. Most were discarded once the final layout was selected, making surviving examples rare evidence of the decision-making process. Read more →