Collection PL

New Zealand 1907–1926 - Bank of New Zealand £20 Blue Serial-Prefix Audit Specimen (Pick S194s)

Historically, £20 represented the highest practical denomination issued by New Zealand’s private banks prior to monetary centralization in 1934. Circulating examples were systematically redeemed and destroyed, leaving archival specimens as the sole survivors. Audit-range serial-prefix specimens such as this were printed in microscopic quantities and retained within Bradbury Wilkinson’s London archives, making their survival extraordinarily unlikely. Read more →

New Zealand 1895-1908 - Bank of New Zealand £10 Brown with Serial Number Prefix Specimen (Pick S193bs)

A high-denomination specimen from the Bank of New Zealand color lineage, the ten pounds brown (Pick S193bs) represents the serial-prefix approval format bearing dual printed control numbers, 097476 at upper left and 102475 at lower right. These serial-prefix specimens were produced for internal audit, plate approval, and archival reference purposes, distinct from zero-serial specimen impressions. Read more →

Australia 1880-1889 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited £5 with Serial Prefix SPECIMEN (Pick Unlisted, MVR4a)

A printer-issued £5 SPECIMEN prepared by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, dating to the late 1880s production window (ND 1880–1889), and bearing live serial numbers rather than zero or placeholder prefixes. This piece represents an internal control or approval specimen drawn from a numbered production sequence, distinct from margin-heavy proof impressions or display specimens. Read more →

New Zealand 1905-1916 - Bank of New Zealand £1 Red with Serial Number Prefix G000001-G100000 Cancelled Perforation Specimen (Pick S212bs)

The presence of live production serial numbers with the letter prefix G clearly distinguishes this class from unnumbered file specimens. The perforated CANCELLED across the signature panel confirms archival invalidation of a fully completed, final-design note rather than a proof or presentation pull. Specimens of this type preserve the finished design together with the actual serial logic employed in production. Read more →