Presenting security printing (213 results)

1996 North Macedonia 500 Denari issued banknote GB2531560 featuring the Golden Death Mask motif, graded PMG 66 EPQ

North Macedonia 1996 - 500 Denari Issued Note GB2531560 Golden Death Mask (Pick 17a)

The 500 Denari banknote issued in 1996 forms part of the first modern currency series of the Republic of Macedonia following independence in 1991. Introduced by the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia as part of the country’s early monetary stabilization program, the series established the visual identity and security standards of the newly independent state’s paper currency. Production was entrusted to Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited in London, whose security printing expertise shaped both the artistic and technical structure of the notes. Read more →

North MacedoniaIssued Note1996500 DenariPMG 66 EPQ Issued NoteGolden Death MaskGolden Mask of TrebenishtaArchaeological HeritageBanknote EngravingDe La RueSecurity PrintingIntaglio EngravingOffset PrintingSecurity ThreadMicrotextSee-Through RegisterGuilloche PatternsWatermarkNorth Macedonia1996500 DenariPick 17aPMG 66 EPQGem UncirculatedMuseum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

2003 North Macedonia 500 Denari issued banknote DA8148021 featuring the Golden Death Mask motif, graded PMG 67 EPQ

North Macedonia 2003 - 500 Denari Issued Note DA8148021 Golden Death Mask (Pick 21a)

The printing architecture follows the standard De La Rue security model of the period. A multicolor offset underprint establishes the geometric field and tonal background of the note, while the primary design elements are rendered through intaglio engraving, producing the raised tactile surface associated with high-security banknote production. This layered approach combines aesthetic depth with functional anti-counterfeiting performance. Read more →

North MacedoniaIssued Note2003500 DenariPMG 67 EPQ Issued NoteGolden Death MaskGolden Mask of TrebenishtaArchaeological HeritageBanknote EngravingDe La RueSecurity PrintingIntaglio EngravingOffset PrintingSecurity ThreadMicrotextSee-Through RegisterGuilloche PatternsWatermarkNorth Macedonia2003500 DenariPick 21aPMG 67 EPQSuperb Gem UncirculatedMuseum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

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

The proof is printed on watermarked paper manufactured by Cowan & Sons, one of the principal British suppliers of high-grade security paper during the nineteenth century. Such paper stocks were widely used for government revenue instruments and later for colonial banknotes. The presence of Cowan paper reflects the integration of New South Wales fiscal printing into the broader British security printing industry. Read more →

AustraliaFiscal Die Proof1865One Half PercentUnissued archival proof (colourless embossing with printed SPECIMEN) Fiscal ProofDie ProofEmbossed Revenue PaperStamp Duty PaperAd Valorem DutyOne Half PercentNew South Wales TreasuryColonial Revenue SystemGovernment Fiscal PaperLegal Document AuthenticationThomas De La RueTDLRCowan & Sons PaperSecurity Paper ProductionEmbossed Die EngravingEarly Security PrintingAustraliaNew South Wales1865Colonial Fiscal PrintingRevenue Paper HistoryMuseum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

Italy 1871 Germania with shield and spear vignette die proof engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson for the Banca Italo-Germanica 500 Lire design

Italy 1871 - Germania with Shield and Spear Vignette Die Proof Used on 500 Lire (Pick PS977)

Vignette proofs such as this were printed directly from the engraved steel die during the approval phase of banknote production. At this stage the printer and issuing bank evaluated the engraving quality, tonal balance, and compositional stability of the central image before transferring the design to working printing plates. Because the proof is taken directly from the die, it preserves the engraving in its pure form, without color layers, guilloche backgrounds, or additional plate elements that would appear in the completed banknote. Read more →

ItalyVignette1871-PMG Certified (Vignette Proof) VignetteVignette ProofIntaglio PrintSteel EngravingBanknote EngravingGermania AllegoryGermania with Shield and SpearFemale Personification of GermanyImperial Eagle ShieldBradbury WilkinsonBWCSecurity Printing19th Century EngravingEngraving Approval StageBanca Italo-GermanicaItalo-German Banking RelationsEuropean Banking HistoryGerman Unification EraItaly1871500 LirePS977Museum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

1830s Penn Township Savings Institution 10 Cents proof deposit certificate engraved by Underwood Bald Spencer & Hufty of Philadelphia

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

The engraving was executed by the Philadelphia firm Underwood, Bald, Spencer & Hufty, one of the prominent American security printers active before the later consolidation of major banknote engravers into the American Bank Note Company. Their work here demonstrates the refined steel engraving style characteristic of pre-Civil War American security printing, combining strong typographic layout with finely executed portrait vignettes. Read more →

United StatesObsolete Proof Note183010 CentsProof (Unissued) Obsolete ProofPick UnlistedUnlistedSavings Deposit CertificateFractional Savings NoteEarly Micro-SavingsMortgage Backed DepositWilliam Penn PortraitPenn Township Savings InstitutionPhiladelphia Banking HistoryMutual Savings BankUnderwood Bald Spencer & HuftyAmerican Security PrintingPre-American Bank Note Company Engraving19th Century EngravingUnited StatesPennsylvaniaPhiladelphia1830s10 CentsObsolete CurrencyEarly American BankingMuseum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

Poland 1988 50 Złotych banknote prefix HK6400358 missing date and signatures of Prezes and Główny Skarbnik due to typographic printing omission

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

Production of these notes involved multiple sequential printing stages. First a multicolor offset background and security pattern were applied, followed by intaglio engraving for the portrait and main denomination elements. Serial numbers were then printed in red, after which a separate typographic pass added the date line and official signatures. The present error indicates that the sheet either skipped the final typographic stage or passed through the press with an uninked plate, leaving the signature panel blank while all other printing layers remain complete. Read more →

PolandIssued Note Error (Missing Print)198850 ZłotychRaw (Circulated) Issued Error NoteMissing Print ErrorMissing SignaturesMissing Date PanelTypographic OmissionKarol Swierczewski PortraitNarodowy Bank PolskiPolska Wytwornia Papierow WartosciowychPWPW Security PrintingLate Communist Era BanknotesPrefix HKSerial HK64003581988 Series50 ZlotychPick 142cCM165CM166CM167CM168CM169CM170Poland1988Error NoteMuseum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

Poland 1988 50 Zlotych banknote prefix HK0082865 featuring the portrait of Karol Swierczewski, graded PMG 68 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated

Poland 1988 - 50 Zlotych Prefix HK Issued Note (Pick 142c)

Production of the note involved multiple printing stages typical of late twentieth-century security printing at PWPW. A multicolor offset background established the geometric security pattern across the note, followed by intaglio engraving for the portrait and denomination elements. Serial numbers were applied in red ink in a later pass, while the final typographic stage added the date and the printed signatures of the issuing officials. Read more →

PolandIssued Note198850 ZłotychPMG 68 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated Issued NoteKarol Swierczewski PortraitEagle Arms WatermarkIntaglio EngravingOffset Security PrintingNarodowy Bank PolskiPolska Wytwornia Papierow WartosciowychPWPW Security PrintingLate PRL BanknotesPrefix HKSerial HK00828651988 Series50 ZlotychPick 142cCM165CM166CM167CM168CM169CM170Poland1988PMG 68 EPQSuperb Gem UncirculatedMuseum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

Canada 1896 Bank of Nova Scotia 20 Dollars front and back proof pair engraved by the American Bank Note Company

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

Before the establishment of the Bank of Canada in 1935, chartered banks issued their own circulating currency. Proof impressions such as this pair were produced to examine the final engraving, color structure, and plate alignment before the printing plates were hardened for production. They therefore represent one of the earliest surviving stages of the completed banknote design. Read more →

CanadaProof Pair (Front & Back)189620 DollarsPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Front and Back Proof Pair) Proof PairPick UnlistedFront ProofBack ProofEngraved ProofIntaglio EngravingABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyABNCo Security PrintingLathework GuillocheSteel Banknote EngravingThe Bank of Nova ScotiaHalifaxNova ScotiaCanadian Chartered BanknotesVictorian Era BankingCanada189620 DollarsPMG 63Choice UncirculatedMuseum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

Fiji 1942 one pound wartime overprint on New Zealand Reserve Bank £1 note showing Government of Fiji overprint and red FI/O serial number

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

This one pound note issued for Fiji in 1942 was created by overprinting an existing Reserve Bank of New Zealand £1 note originally dated 1 August 1934. The base note was printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company in London for circulation in New Zealand, but during the Second World War it was adapted for emergency use within the British colony of Fiji. Read more →

FijiIssued Note (Overprint on Foreign Base)19421 PoundPMG 20 Very Fine Overprinted IssueForeign Base NoteBlack OverprintWartime Emergency CurrencyWorld War II Currency1 PoundGovernment of FijiBritish Colonial AdministrationPacific Wartime EconomyColonial Monetary PolicyReserve Bank of New Zealand Base NoteKiwi VignetteMaori King Tawhiao PortraitCommonwealth Currency AdaptationThomas De La RueTDLRSecurity PrintingFiji1942Pick 45cNew Zealand Pick 155PMG 20Very FineMuseum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

Ireland - Northern 1940 Northern Bank Limited 1 Pound issued note, Pick 178b and NR68, serial N-I/H 028711, black prefix and serial number variety, graded PMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated, with blue ONE counter, maritime and industrial vignette, architectural reverse, and Belfast banking identity

Ireland - Northern 1940 - Northern Bank Limited 1 Pound Issued Note, Black Prefix and Serial Number (Pick 178b / NR68)

The face is dominated by the dramatic blue ONE counter across the center, a bold security and denomination feature that gives the note immediate visual force. Above it, the Northern Bank Limited title appears in formal engraved lettering, with the bank's establishment date of 1824 printed beneath. The serial number N-I/H 028711 appears at both left and right, reinforcing the black prefix and serial-number designation noted on the PMG label. The Belfast place name anchors the lower border, while the manuscript-style promise-to-pay text preserves the language of a commercial bank obligation payable at the Head Office in Belfast. Read more →

IrelandIssued Note19401 PoundPMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated Issued NoteRegular IssuePrivate Banknote IssueAuthorized Banknote IssueIrish Private BankNorthern Ireland IssueBlack Prefix and Serial NumberSerial N-I/H 028711N-I/H Prefix1 PoundNorthern BankNorthern Bank LimitedBelfastDated 1st January 1940Blue One CounterMaritime VignetteIndustrial VignetteArchitectural VignetteSterling BanknoteCommercial Security PrinterBanknote PrintingSecurity PrintingEngraved BanknotePrivate Banknote ProductionCommercial Banknote IssueBlack Prefix VarietyBlack Serial Number VarietyPick 178bNR68Irish Banking HistoryNorthern Ireland Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote TraditionCommercial Banknote IssueIrish Financial HistoryEarly Twentieth Century Paper MoneyPre-decimal SterlingWartime Period BanknoteHistoryIrelandIreland - Northern1940Pick 178bNR68PMG 67PMG 67 EPQPMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem UncirculatedExceptional Paper QualityMuseum Grade

Held

Ask PMG Census

United States 1970s Giori Test Note Jefferson Center black front green back inverted red serial number CT68666 watermark PMG 64 EPQ Choice Uncirculated

United States ca. 1970s – Giori Test Note – Jefferson Center, Black Front / Greenback Inverted Experimental Serial With Watermark

Certified PMG 64 EPQ Choice Uncirculated, the note preserves original embossing, crisp detail, and paper originality. It reflects the intersection of design and technology during a transformative period in U.S. security printing. Read more →

United StatesTest Note1970Test NotePMG 64 EPQ Choice Uncirculated United StatesGiori Test NoteJefferson Center1970Black FrontGreenbackInverted SerialExperimental SerialWatermarkPMG 64 EPQ

Held

Ask PMG Census

United States American Bank Note Company 10 Units green Series of 1929 specimen note with watermark and foil security thread PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated

United States 1929 – American Bank Note Company Test Note, 10 Units, Green Series of 1929 With Watermark and Segmented Foil Security Thread

The green intaglio printing on high-grade security paper features both a watermark and a segmented metallic foil thread-features that illustrate ABNCo’s transitional work between traditional intaglio techniques and the emerging security standards of modern polymer and thread-based paper. Despite the absence of a true monetary denomination, these '10 Unit' designs allowed clients and government agencies to evaluate printing quality, tactile texture, and security options. Read more →

United StatesTest Note192910 UnitsPMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated United StatesABNCAmerican Bank Note CompanyTest NoteSpecimen192910 UnitsGreen SeriesWatermarkFoil ThreadEngraving ArtPMG 66 EPQ

Held

Ask PMG Census