Collection PL

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

Issued 50 Złotych banknote of the Narodowy Bank Polski dated 1 December 1988 displaying a major typographic omission error. The entire printed layer containing the line 'WARSZAWA, 1 GRUDNIA 1988' together with the signatures of the issuing officials (Prezes and Główny Skarbnik) is completely absent. The national eagle emblem printed in the central guilloche remains intact, demonstrating that only the upper black typographic layer failed to transfer during printing. Read more →

Fiji 1942 - 1 Pound Government of Fiji Overprint on New Zealand £1 (Pick 45c)

Graded PMG 20 Very Fine, this example retains a strong and fully legible Fiji overprint together with its red FI/O serial number 131408. Notes of this issue typically circulated heavily during the war years and were withdrawn once dedicated Fiji currency was introduced after the crisis subsided. As a result, surviving examples represent important documentary evidence of wartime monetary policy in the Pacific theater. Read more →

United States 1872 – State of South Carolina $50 Revenue Bond Scrip Act of March 2 1872 Columbia Issue

The design balances artistry and propaganda. At center, an engraved portrait of George Washington anchors the composition, flanked by vignettes emblematic of South Carolina’s economy: a farmer with a horse-drawn plow at left and a cotton field worker at right. Above, 'The State of South Carolina' arcs in bold Gothic script under the heading 'Revenue Bond Scrip.' Rich green tinting reinforces the denomination, with large shaded 'FIFTY' protectors and dual '50' counters in ornate guilloche. The intricate micro-lettered border repeats the word 'FIFTY' in alternating fonts-a subtle security feature designed to frustrate counterfeiters. Read more →

United States 1902 – 20 Dollars Large Size Plain Back National Bank Note – The First National Bank of Taylorville, Illinois Charter 3579 (Fr.650-652)

Serial 21634 documents a late Plain Back print. Paper shows honest circulation folds, edge wear, and scattered foxing, but retains strong ink in the blue overprints and clear device detail on both sides. As a raw Very Good survivor from a bank with almost no public sales history, this piece anchors the scarce large-size side of the Taylorville story and pairs historically with the ultra-rare 1929 Type 1 ghost note from the same charter. Read more →

United States 1929 - 5 Dollars Type 1 National Bank Note - The Thomas County National Bank of Colby, Kansas Charter 13076 (Friedberg 1800-1)

The note follows the standard small-size Type 1 national design with Abraham Lincoln’s engraved portrait at center, flanked by bold denomination counters and the brown Treasury seal at right. The blue charter number '13076' appears vertically at both margins, while serial F004065A and red-brown overprint connect it to Colby’s 1929 issue block. The printed facsimile signatures of cashier N. Reimers and president W. D. Ferguson confirm its authenticity and continuity with the bank’s leadership also seen on its earlier 1902 issues and later 1944 correspondence. Read more →

Australia 1965 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited 10 Dollars Travellers Cheque Approved Design Proof (Pick Unlisted)

The design combines practical banking clarity with Bradbury Wilkinson and Company's late security-printing craftsmanship. The main inscription, "The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited," is held in a clear central field, while the surrounding microlettered ground and guilloche borders preserve the security character expected from a major London security printer. The pale green and emerald tonal structure gives the cheque a lighter and more readable appearance around the bank title, amount line, countersignature area, and drawer's signature field. This approved visual language connects directly with the broader 1965 proof-room sequence preserved across the companion 20 Dollars and 50 Dollars designs. Read more →

Egypt 1918 - Banque Belge pour l’Étranger, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Surviving WWI-period cheques drawn by Banque Belge in Egypt are extremely scarce. Most were destroyed in interbank reconciliations, lost in postwar archival reductions, or discarded during institutional mergers. Complete examples retaining engraved borders, correspondent office overprints, payee cachets, and full manuscript entries are exceptionally rare. This 1918 specimen stands as a high-tier artifact of Belgian overseas banking operations in Egypt during the Great War and provides a primary-source window into the financial infrastructure that underpinned Egypt’s wartime commercial and administrative economy. Read more →

Egypt 1910 - Riches & Mawas, Cairo–Alexandria–Tanta Commercial Draft for 1600 Piastres

The document is completed in multiple inks. The upper line shows the draft number 6837 and the due date 'Echéance le 1er Octobre 1910' written in elegant black fountain-pen script. The payee, Monsieur Hassan Aly de Fiky, is entered in large cursive handwriting across the midsection. Arabic text fills the central payment block, recording the amount, acceptance wording, and commercial terms specified by the drawer. Blue wave-patterned security bands span the width of the page, framing the amount and reducing opportunities for alteration. Read more →

Egypt 1908 - Mohammed El Komi Carriage & Automobile Workshop Invoice

Original 1908 trade invoice from Mohammed El Komi, a Cairo-based carriage and early automobile workshop situated on Rue El Saha near the palace of Mazloum Pasha. The upper section features a finely lithographed header showing a side-profile illustration of a horse-drawn carriage with the driver seated at the front. Above the vignette, the workshop name 'MOHAMMED EL KOMI' appears in a bold curved arc. The left column lists the shop’s services in French-atelier de réparation et mise à neuf de voitures, peinture, automobiles, sellerie-while the right column repeats the same services in Arabic, printed in clean Khedivial-era type. Read more →

Poland 1940 - 20 Zlotych Bank Emisyjny w Polsce Prefix A Kraków Issue Approval Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The obverse is defined by the portrait of Emilia Plater, one of the most prominent female figures of Polish national memory. Her image draws directly from nineteenth-century patriotic iconography associated with the November Uprising, where she emerged as a symbol of civic duty, sacrifice, and resistance. The inclusion of Plater on the front of a major denomination reflects a continuation of pre-war Polish practices that elevated historical figures representing national identity rather than contemporary political power. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 2000 Reales Vellón Serie E Issued Note No. 00286 (Pick S455)

This note is fully signed by all required officers, including the Comisario Regio, Director, Interventor, and Cajero. The prominent circular cancellation punch at center reflects standard Zaragoza redemption practice for high-denomination notes once withdrawn from circulation. Despite evident circulation wear, the engraved detail remains bold, preserving the distinctive mid-nineteenth-century Madrid-school engraving style used for Zaragoza’s emissions. Read more →

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 2000 Reales Vellón Serie E Issued Consecutive Pair No. 00031–00032 (Pick S455)

The Banco de Zaragoza operated during Spain’s brief liberal banking period following the 1856 reforms, when select provincial banks were authorised to issue their own circulating paper currency. Zaragoza structured its emissions by denomination through alphabetic series, with Serie E corresponding to 2000 reales vellón. These high-denomination notes were intended for large commercial settlements and institutional use, resulting in extremely low survival rates once redemption and withdrawal policies were enforced. Read more →