Collection PL

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

Issued 1 Peso Fuerte note of Banco Domingo Garbino, printed by the American Bank Note Company (Compañía Americana de Billetes de Banco Nueva York) and formally activated for circulation through the large vertical red overprint “DOMINGO GARBINO.” This overprint was the legal validation required to convert remainder stock (Pick S1791) into fully issued, signed, numbered, and payable currency. Pick S1802 represents the only surviving issued form of the Garbino 1 Peso denomination. The base design reflects ABNC’s late 1860s export engraving style. ... Read more →

Australia 1929 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited — Circular Letter of Credit Photographic Proof (Mounted on Cardstock, PCGS 64 Very Choice New)

This photographic proof represents a Circular Letter of Credit issued by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited during the late interwar period, forming part of an international financial system that enabled secure cross-border access to funds. Unlike Letters of Introduction, which served primarily as identity credentials, the Letter of Credit functioned as a direct monetary instrument, allowing the holder to withdraw funds abroad through a structured and verifiable process. It stands as a precursor to modern traveler’s checks and early credit-based financial systems. ... Read more →

Italy 1869 — Credito Agricolo della Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna 30 Lire Portrait Vignette (Bradbury Wilkinson and Company)

This engraved portrait vignette was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company as a direct design component for the 1869 Credito Agricolo della Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna 30 Lire issue. It is not a generic engraving but the exact portrait element incorporated into the final banknote, forming part of the original production chain of the note itself. Vignettes of this type were engraved separately within the security printing workflow, allowing master engravers to refine portrait structure, shading, and line depth before integration into the full note layout. ... Read more →

Argentina 1876 — Banco de San Juan 5 Pesos Fuertes Central Portrait Vignette (Bradbury Wilkinson and Company)

This engraved central portrait vignette was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company in London as the primary design element for the 1876 Banco de San Juan 5 Pesos Fuertes issue. It is not an unrelated or stock engraving, but the exact central allegorical figure integrated into the final banknote design, forming a direct and inseparable component of the note’s visual and symbolic structure. The vignette depicts a classical female allegory rendered in high-precision intaglio, embodying republican ideals, stability, and institutional authority. ... Read more →

Argentina 1876 — Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte Condor Vignette (Bradbury Wilkinson and Company)

This engraved condor vignette was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company in London as a primary design element for the 1876 Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte issue. It is not an isolated or stock engraving, but the exact vignette integrated into the issued design framework of the note, forming a direct and traceable component of the final composition. The vignette depicts an Andean condor standing in a mountainous landscape, engraved with layered intaglio linework and controlled tonal depth. ... Read more →

Poland 1937 — Free City of Gdańsk Bank of Danzig 20 Gulden Architectural Vignette Bradbury Wilkinson and Company

This engraved architectural vignette was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company in New Malden, Surrey, as a direct design component for the 1937 Bank of Danzig 20 Gulden issue (Pick 63), issued under the authority of the Free City of Gdańsk. It is not a generic or stock engraving, but the exact central vignette incorporated into the final banknote design. The engraving depicts a monumental civic structure rendered with precise architectural detail and controlled perspective. ... Read more →

Barbados 1968 — Bank of Barbados 5 Dollars, Front and Back Archival Photograph (Pick Unlisted)

This item consists of a matched pair of archival photographic prints documenting the front and back designs of a proposed 5 Dollars banknote for Barbados, dated to approximately 1968 and produced by Bradbury Wilkinson and Company Limited of New Malden, Surrey, England. The pair preserves a transitional and apparently abandoned currency concept carrying the issuer name Bank of Barbados, a title that does not correspond to the formal issuing authority ultimately adopted by the country. The front design presents a complete engraved banknote layout featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth the Second, the Barbados coat of arms, ornamental denomination panels, and the inscription Bank of Barbados across the center. ... Read more →

China 1949 — People's Bank of China 100 Yuan Red Ship Unnumbered Alignment Trial with Inverted 1948 100 Yuan Gateway Impression (Pick Unlisted)

This 1949 100 Yuan Red Ship unnumbered alignment trial from the People's Bank of China belongs to the turbulent production history of the First Series Renminbi, the founding paper-money issue of the early People's Republic of China. The issued Red Ship design is cataloged as Pick number 831b, while this production-stage survivor is cataloged as Pick Unlisted because it was preserved outside the finished note format: unnumbered, untrimmed, marked by printer guide lines, and carrying an inverted displaced impression from the 1948 100 Yuan gateway design beneath the later Red Ship face. The Red Ship type was printed by the Shanghai Banknote Printing Plant at a moment when China's new national currency was still being built under pressure. ... Read more →