Collection PL

Great Britain 1997 - Thomas De La Rue 100 Units Test Note Portal Watermark

A rare Thomas De La Rue test note, issued as a demonstration piece rather than circulating currency. Dated ND (1997), this 100 Units note was printed to showcase De La Rue’s advanced banknote security design, incorporating microtext, guilloche patterns, and the portal watermark. The obverse features a portrait of Thomas De La Rue with multicolor lathework and the company’s headquarters vignette. Test notes like this were produced for presentations, sales demonstrations, and security trials, not for public issue, and remain highly sought after by collectors. Read more →

Uruguay 1862 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 100 Pesos Remainder (Pick S245r)

With fewer than five graded examples known, this PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated note stands among the rarest survivors. Placed beside the 1862 specimen, it completes the story-the specimen representing approval, the remainder preservation. Two different paths, one design, both critical to understanding how Uruguay’s first modern banknote was born and survived. Read more →

Ireland - Northern 2005 - Northern Bank £50 Replacement Prefix YY (Pick 208)

Replacement notes such as this are among the rarest 2005 Northern Bank issues. The 'YY' prefix was reserved for internal control and used only when a regular production sheet was damaged or spoiled during printing. Fewer than a few thousand replacement £50s are estimated to have been released, making this an exceptional survivor of Northern Ireland’s most infamous banking episode. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 - Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 Pesos Serie C Specimen, Specimen No. 9 (Pick 38bs)

The denomination formed part of the monetary framework authorized under the law of 2 January 1939, cited prominently across the face. Fifty pesos occupied a substantial working position within the denomination structure, suitable for significant commercial payments, institutional accounting, treasury activity, and larger financial transactions. The note therefore combines the practical function of a major monetary value with the formal authority and technical security expected from the state banking system. Read more →

Uruguay 1939 (1967 Authorization) - Banco Central del Uruguay 50 Pesos Serie D Specimen, Specimen No. 2 (Pick 42As)

Serie D appears clearly on the face beside the all-zero serial fields. At the lower margin, the red inscription SPECIMEN No. 2 records the individual number assigned to this reference example within the controlled specimen sequence. The series designation, zero serials, and specimen number together provide the note with its complete administrative identity. Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 5000 Denari Photographic Transparency Essay (Maenad Vignette)

Because the transparency records the engraving without ink spread, paper absorption, or offset color layers, it preserves the Maenad figure in its most technically precise state. Every engraved line appears exactly as cut into the die, providing a rare view of the design before it was integrated into the complex layered printing structure of the finished banknote. Read more →

New South Wales 1865 - Embossed 'ONE HALF PERCENT' Stamp Duty Fiscal Proof Specimen

Because these proofs were working approval materials rather than issued fiscal documents, most examples were destroyed after printing commenced. Surviving sheets that retain the printer’s blue framing guides and 'Specimen' designation provide rare documentation of the early stages of colonial security printing. As such, this piece represents a direct witness to the administrative and technical foundations of fiscal printing in nineteenth-century Australia. Read more →

United States 1830s - Pennsylvania, Philadelphia - Penn Township Savings Institution 10 Cents Proof (Unlisted)

Proof impressions such as this were produced for internal approval and archival reference prior to printing the circulating certificates. Most were discarded after the design was finalized, making surviving proofs from small Philadelphia savings institutions extremely rare. Read more →

Mexico 1915 - Ayuntamiento de Zitácuaro 10 Centavos Uncut Sheet of Four M2952c (Pick Unlisted)

As an artifact, the sheet illustrates how local authorities temporarily replaced national currency systems with municipal credit instruments backed by civic authority and local trust. It stands as a rare surviving witness to the decentralized monetary practices that emerged across Mexico during the upheaval of the revolution. Read more →

Poland 1988 - 50 Zlotych Prefix HK Missing Signatures Date Print Error Issued Note (Pick 142c)

This example retains the original red serial numbering HK6400358 and shows typical circulation handling, confirming that the error escaped quality control and entered everyday use. As a result, it represents a rare surviving example of a dramatic missing-print error from the 1988 50 Złotych issue. Read more →

Canada 1896 - Bank of Nova Scotia 20 Dollars Front and Back Proofs (Pick Unlisted)

Proof pairs from Canadian chartered banks are rarely encountered today. Many were destroyed once the plates were approved, and others were retained only within printer archives. Surviving examples, such as this matched pair certified PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated for both front and back, provide direct insight into the craftsmanship of American Bank Note Company engraving and the visual identity of Canada’s private banking era at the close of the nineteenth century. Read more →

New Zealand 1975 - 100 Dollars R.L. Knight Signature Perforated SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE Serial G000000000 (Pick 168bs)

As a perforated specimen from the ND (1975–1977) Knight issue, this note represents the internal documentation stage of production at Thomas De La Rue. Such pieces were typically retained for archival and verification purposes and were rarely released, contributing to their limited survival. Read more →