Collection PL

About
Results for “specimen”
Australia 1880–1910 Commercial Bank of Australia £100 specimen, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

Australia 1880–1910 - Commercial Bank of Australia £100 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A monumental survivor from Australia’s private banking era, this £100 specimen ranks among the most important colonial-era notes known. Printed circa 1880–1910 for the Commercial Bank of Australia Limited, it represents the uppermost denomination produced under the private-issue system that existed before the Commonwealth took full control of note issuance in 1910. No issued examples of this £100 are believed to have survived, making specimens the only remaining documentation of the type. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen1880100 PoundsPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated Specimen100 PoundsHigh DenominationCommercial Bank of AustraliaBradbury WilkinsonBWCSands & McDougallColonial SpecimenBilingualChinese-EnglishPick UnlistedColonial Banking HistoryAustralian Private BanknotesPre-Notes Act Era19th Century BankingMulticultural Trade NetworksSecurity Printing HistoryBritish Engraving InfluenceAustralian Monetary HistoryAustralia188019101880–1910PMG 64Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations
Held
New Zealand 1907–1926 Bank of New Zealand £20 Blue audit-range serial-prefix specimen with dual control numbers, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., PMG 55 AU, Pop 1/1, R9 Extremely Rare

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

A unique high-denomination Bradbury Wilkinson audit-range specimen and the rarest surviving document from New Zealand’s private-banknote era, the £20 Blue (Pick S194s) represents the apex of BNZ’s color-coded denomination hierarchy. This specimen is not a generic zero-serial example: it carries dual live serials (No. 061001 and No. 066000), identifying it as an internal audit-range piece used by Bradbury Wilkinson for plate alignment, tint calibration, and numbering verification during the official approval process. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen190720 PoundsPMG 55 About Uncirculated (Pop 1/1) Specimen20 PoundsBlueBNZ Color LineageHigh Denomination Color TierHigh DenominationAudit-Range SpecimenSerial PrefixDual Serial NumbersPerforated SpecimenBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S194sBank of New ZealandPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankNew Zealand Banking HistoryBritish Engraved NotesMāori Portrait VignettesSecurity Printing HistoryHigh-Value NotesAudit Control SheetNew Zealand190719261907–1926PMG 58Pop 1Top PopMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique
Held
Australia 1877 City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 specimen engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson, PMG 62 Uncirculated, unique surviving example

Australia 1877 - City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A unique surviving specimen of the £20 denomination issued by the City of Melbourne Bank Limited, representing one of the highest-value private banknotes produced in colonial Victoria. Printed from Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. master plates, this note belongs to the final generation of Australian private banknote engraving before national standardization and the destruction of nearly all high-denomination material. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen187720 PoundsPMG 62 Uncirculated Specimen20 PoundsCity of Melbourne Bank LimitedBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick UnlistedColonial SpecimenEngraved Security PrintingAustralian Private BanknotesVictoria Banking HistoryPre-Federation FinanceGold Rush Era BankingSecurity Printing History19th Century BankingAustralian Monetary HistoryAustraliaVictoria1877PMG 62Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique
Held
Australia 1877 Mercantile Bank of Sydney £1 specimen with red ONE overprint, Pick Unlisted, printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., graded PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated Pop 1, only known example

Australia 1877 - Mercantile Bank of Sydney £1 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A superb Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. specimen from the early colonial banking era, this £1 note for the Mercantile Bank of Sydney survives today as the only documented example of its type. Certified PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated and recorded as Pop 1, it represents a unique surviving specimen of a private Australian bank whose issues rarely appear in any form. The same piece is known to have appeared once in a past Christie’s sale prior to encapsulation, making this the sole confirmed survivor based on all available auction, census, and institutional research. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen18771 PoundPMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated (Pop 1) Specimen1 PoundPick UnlistedRed OverprintColonial Private BankBradbury WilkinsonBWCMercantile Bank of SydneyNew South Wales Banking History19th Century FinanceAustralian Private IssuesSecurity Printing HistoryColonial PeriodAustralia1877Only Known ExampleR9 Extremely RareUniquePop 1Top PopPMG 66 EPQGem UncirculatedMuseum Grade
Held
Australia Federal Bank of Australia Limited one pound Sydney specimen printed by Bradbury Wilkinson, annotated 1882, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

Australia 1879–1903 - Federal Bank of Australia, Limited £1 Sydney Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

This specimen represents a one pound note prepared for the Federal Bank of Australia, Limited and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company in London during the bank’s short operational life between 1879 and 1903. The note carries the Sydney office imprint, identifying the colonial financial center where the issue was intended to circulate. It belongs to one of the most fragile and least documented chapters of Australia’s pre-Federation private banking era, when numerous colonial banks issued their own paper currency under uneven regulation and volatile economic conditions. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen18791 PoundPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated (Annotated, Top Population) Specimen Banknote1 PoundPrinter SpecimenAnnotated SpecimenExport Engraved NoteLarge Format BanknoteBradbury WilkinsonBWCBritish Security PrintingVictorian Era EngravingPrivate Banknote ProductionFederal Bank of Australia LimitedAustralian Private BanksPre Federation AustraliaSydney Banking HistoryVictorian Banking Crisis1893 Banking CollapseAustraliaSydney187919031879–1903Pick UnlistedTop PopMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations
Held
Poland 1994 50 Zlotych discovery AR prefix approval specimen without overprints, serial AR0000000, red vertical control numbering, final issued-style design, and Thomas De La Rue production origin.

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Discovery AR Prefix Approval Specimen Without Overprints (Pick Unlisted)

Discovery AR-prefix approval specimen of the 50 Zlotych banknote from the 1994 Polish issue, bearing serial number AR0000000. The piece documents a previously unrecorded AR-prefix approval-stage form within the production record of the series. Read more →

PolandApproval Specimen Without Overprints199450 ZlotychUncirculated Approval SpecimenApproval Specimen Without OverprintsApproval-Stage SpecimenDiscovery AR PrefixDiscovery PrefixDiscovery MaterialProduction-Stage DiscoverySpecimenUncataloguedUnlisted Approval PrefixAR PrefixSerial AR0000000Zero Serial NumberRed Vertical Control NumberingThomas De La RueTDLRMilczak AA Listed Without ImageMilczak Unlisted AR PrefixPick UnlistedPreviously Undocumented AR PrefixApproval Prefix EvidencePhysical Approval SpecimenHidden Approval MaterialPoland Currency Redesign 1994National Bank of PolandNarodowy Bank PolskiModern Polish BanknotesSecurity Printing HistoryDesign Approval ProcessPre Issue Control NotePrinter Approval MaterialFinal Issued-Style DesignKing Casimir III the GreatKazimierz WielkiAndrzej HeidrichHanna Gronkiewicz-WaltzWieslaw BiernatowiczPolandPoland 1994199450 ZlotychMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique
Held
Poland 1994 50 Zlotych discovery AR prefix specimen with red SPECIMEN overprint, red oval NO VALUE stamps, punch cancellations, serial AR0000000, De La Rue specimen-control number 005, and Thomas De La Rue specimen tracking panel.

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Discovery AR Prefix Specimen with Red Overprint and Oval Stamp (Pick Unlisted)

Discovery AR-prefix red-overprint specimen of the 50 Zlotych banknote from the 1994 Polish issue, bearing serial number AR0000000. The note carries a red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint, paired red oval NO VALUE stamps, round punch cancellations, and De La Rue specimen-control number 005. This AR-prefix form is unrecorded in Milczak and Pick and belongs to the same discovery-level production group as the related AR approval specimen. Read more →

PolandSpecimen with Red Overprint and Oval Stamp199450 ZlotychPMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated SpecimenDiscovery AR PrefixDiscovery PrefixDiscovery MaterialProduction-Stage DiscoveryRed OverprintRed SPECIMEN OverprintOval NO VALUE StampPunch CancelledSpecimen Tracking PanelDe La Rue Specimen Control Number 005Specimen Control Number 005Control Number 005Unique Specimen Control NumberAR PrefixSerial AR0000000Zero Serial NumberThomas De La RueTDLRMilczak UnlistedPick UnlistedMilczak Unlisted AR PrefixPreviously Undocumented AR PrefixAR Prefix Specimen EvidencePhysical Specimen Control FormPoland Currency Redesign 1994National Bank of PolandNarodowy Bank PolskiModern Polish BanknotesSecurity Printing HistorySpecimen Control ProceduresPre Issue Control NotePrinter Control MaterialFinal Issued-Style DesignKing Casimir III the GreatKazimierz WielkiAndrzej HeidrichHanna Gronkiewicz-WaltzWieslaw BiernatowiczPolandPoland 1994199450 ZlotychPMG 66 EPQMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique
Held
Poland 1994 50 Zlotych discovery AR prefix specimen perforated SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE, serial AR0000000, with handwritten archive date 30.4.96, printer annotations, and Thomas De La Rue production origin.

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Discovery AR Prefix Specimen Perforated SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE (Pick Unlisted)

Discovery AR-prefix perforated specimen of the 50 Zlotych banknote from the 1994 Polish issue, bearing serial number AR0000000 and cancelled by the perforated inscription SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE. This AR-prefix form is unrecorded in Milczak and Pick and belongs to the same discovery-level production group as the related AR approval specimen and AR red-overprint specimen. Read more →

PolandDiscovery AR Prefix Specimen Perforated SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE199450 ZlotychUncirculated SpecimenDiscovery AR PrefixDiscovery PrefixDiscovery MaterialProduction-Stage DiscoveryPerforated SpecimenPerforated SPECIMEN OF NO VALUESpecimen of No ValuePrinter AnnotationsHandwritten Archive Date30.4.96AR PrefixSerial AR0000000Zero Serial NumberThomas De La RueTDLRMilczak UnlistedPick UnlistedMilczak Unlisted AR PrefixPreviously Undocumented AR PrefixAR Prefix Specimen EvidencePhysical Specimen Control FormDe La Rue Archival ControlPoland Currency Redesign 1994National Bank of PolandNarodowy Bank PolskiModern Polish BanknotesSecurity Printing HistorySpecimen Control ProceduresPre Issue Control NotePrinter Control MaterialFinal Issued-Style DesignKing Casimir III the GreatKazimierz WielkiAndrzej HeidrichHanna Gronkiewicz-WaltzWieslaw BiernatowiczPolandPoland 1994199450 ZlotychMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations
Held
Italy 1871–1872 Banca Italo-Germanica 250 Lire specimen, Pick S976s, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., PMG 64 Top Pop

Italy 1871–1872 - Banca Italo-Germanica 250 Lire Specimen (Pick S976s)

An exceptional and academically important survival from the experimental phase of Italy’s early post-unification banking era, this 250 Lire specimen from the short-lived Banca Italo-Germanica, cataloged as Pick S976s, represents one of the rarest and most ambitious private note-issuing projects attempted in Rome during the 1870s. No issued examples of this type are known to exist, and all scholarship indicates that the bank’s banknote program collapsed before any notes entered circulation, leaving only a microscopic number of presentation pulls, proofs, or internal printer’s archive sheets. This PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated example is the sole graded specimen in the PMG census, making it both Top Pop and Only Pop. Read more →

ItalySpecimen1871250 LirePMG 64 (Top Pop) Private BankOversizedSpecimenDouble Punch HolePunch Cancelled250 LireEngraved Security PaperProof and Archive PieceBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S976sItalian StatesPost Unification ItalyItalian Banking HistoryFailed Banknote IssuesGerman Capital in Italy19th Century FinanceNational AllegorySecurity Printing HistoryRome Banking ExperimentsUnissued Banknote ProjectItaly1871PMG 64Top PopR9 Extremely RareUniqueMuseum Grade
Held
Uruguay 1872 100 Pesos equals 10 Doblones printer archival specimen, early serial number 010001, printed by Bradbury Wilkinson

Uruguay 1872 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 100 Pesos = 10 Doblones Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A printer’s archival specimen of the 1872 issue of the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata, denominated 100 Pesos Nacionales with an explicit equivalence to 10 Doblones in gold. This dual-denomination construction represents one of the most ambitious monetary experiments undertaken in nineteenth-century Uruguay, attempting to anchor paper currency directly to a fixed gold value at a time of persistent instability and public distrust in fiduciary issues. Read more →

UruguaySpecimen1872100 Pesos = 10 DoblonesPMG 35 Choice Very Fine SpecimenPrinter Archival SpecimenDual DenominationGold EquivalenceEarly Pull Serial 010001Oversized FormatBradbury WilkinsonBWCLondon Security PrintingNineteenth Century EngravingArchival Reference NoteGold Standard ExperimentPeso Doblone ParityBanco de Londres y Rio de la PlataLatin American Monetary HistoryNineteenth Century State FinanceUruguayMontevideo1872Pick UnlistedMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique
Held
Paraguay 1907 100 Pesos Banco de la República specimen with 1912 dual-side state and treasury fiscal revalidation overprint, including Emisión del Estado on the face and Departamento de Hacienda Junta Fiscalizadora Diez Pesos Oro Sellado validation on the reverse, base Pick 159, Pick Unlisted, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

Paraguay 1907 - 100 Pesos with 1912 Dual-Side State and Treasury Revalidation Overprint Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Archival specimen of the 1907 Banco de la República 100 Pesos, base Pick 159, printed by Waterlow & Sons, London, and later transformed by one of the most historically revealing emergency overprint configurations in Paraguayan paper money. The note bears the large face overprint “Emisión del Estado – 11 de Enero de 1912,” together with the reverse fiscal validation “Departamento de Hacienda – Junta Fiscalizadora – Diez Pesos Oro Sellado – Conforme Decreto de 20 de Mayo 1912.” This dual-side treatment places the note outside the ordinary single-face revalidation pattern and identifies it as a treasury-controlled specimen of exceptional documentary importance. Read more →

ParaguayOverprint Specimen1907100 PesosPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated Specimen100 PesosPick UnlistedPick 159OverprintState OverprintTreasury OverprintDual-Side OverprintDual-Signature OverprintProvisionalFiscal RevalidationTreasury RevalidationEmergency State IssueParaguayan Emergency Issues1912 ReformJanuary 11 1912 State EmissionMay 20 1912 DecreeBanco de la RepúblicaDepartamento de HaciendaJunta FiscalizadoraEmisión del EstadoDiez Pesos Oro SelladoGold-Value ReaffirmationWaterlow & SonsSouth American Monetary HistoryEarly 20th Century FinanceGovernment RevalidationOverprint VarietiesParaguay19071912PMG 64Choice UncirculatedMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique
Held
Specimen full sheet Serie A No. 23327 Banco de Zaragoza 100 reales vellón with header and talón, Pick S451s, 1 May 1857

Spain 1857 - Banco de Zaragoza 100 Reales Vellón Serie A Specimen Full Sheet with Header and Talón No. 23327 (Pick S451s)

A true Pick S451s specimen: the complete, original full-sheet specimen of the Banco de Zaragoza 100 reales vellón, dated 1 May 1857, Serie A, serial number 23327. This survival preserves all components of the printer's plate layout exactly as produced: the upper header panel used for alignment and plate control, the left talón for internal audit numbering, and the finished banknote plate. Specimens of type S451s are extremely rare in any form; full sheets retaining both header and talón are almost never encountered. Read more →

SpainSpecimen Full Sheet with Talon1857100 Reales VellónUncirculated (Specimen Full Sheet) SpecimenPick S451sFull SheetHeader PanelTalonUnissuedSerie ASerial 23327100 RealesBanco de ZaragozaSpanish Provincial IssuePrivate Banknote19th Century SpainReales VellonMadrid EngravingMonetary HistorySecurity PrintingSpain1857R8 Extremely RareMuseum Grade
Held
↑ Top