Collection

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

A monumental survivor from Australia’s private banking era, this £100 note ranks among the most important colonial-era specimens known. Printed circa 1880–1910 for the Commercial Bank of Australia Limited, it predates the 1910 Australian Notes Act that abolished private currency issuance. Engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. ... Read more →

Australia 1879–1903 — Federal Bank of Australia £1 (Specimen, Annotated)

Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in London for the short-lived Federal Bank of Australia, this £1 specimen belongs to one of the rarest chapters of Australia’s pre-Federation banking history. The Federal Bank opened in 1881 and failed during the banking crisis of 1893, leaving only presentation and archival notes behind. ... Read more →

Australia 1905–1910 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney £5 (Specimen Proof)

Proof specimen printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. between 1905 and 1910 for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney—one of Australia’s oldest and most respected private banks, founded in 1834. The CBC operated independently until its 1981 merger with the National Bank of Australasia, forming today’s NAB. ... Read more →

Paraguay 1907 — 100 Pesos with 1912 Dual-Side Overprint (Specimen)

Archival specimen of the 1907 Banco de la República 100 Pesos (base Pick 159) carrying the fiscal overprint 'Emisión del Estado – 11 de Enero de 1912' not only on the face but also on the reverse. This dual-side application is extremely unusual for Paraguayan emergency issues and is absent from the standard Pick 134 state overprints. The reverse bears an additional departmental validation 'Departamento de Hacienda – Junta Fiscalizadora', applied in heavy black ink per the decree of 20 May 1912. ... Read more →

Argentina 1871 — Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata 10 Pesos (Rosario, Specimen #000001)

Specimen of the Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata, dated 10 de Noviembre de 1871, issued for the Rosario branch. Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, in green ink with intricate guilloche and portrait of General José de San Martín. The note represents the British-owned Banco de Londres’ earliest Rosario issue, bridging Argentina’s Boliviana and Fuertes monetary systems. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1862 — 100 Pesos (Specimen)

This perforated specimen of the 1862 100 Pesos note was issued for the Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata, one of the earliest private commercial banks to operate in Uruguay and the wider River Plate region. Established in Buenos Aires in 1862 with a Montevideo branch soon after, the Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata became a pivotal institution linking South American trade with British capital, serving as a correspondent for international merchants and handling customs, shipping, and railway finance. Engraved and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. ... Read more →

AR Prefix — Poland 1994, 50 Zlotych Specimen with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp (Uncatalogued, related to Pick 175as / Miłczak Wb AA)

Printed by Thomas De La Rue in London, this AR-prefix specimen shows the bold diagonal SPECIMEN overprint and oval 'NO VALUE' stamp. Pick 175as and Miłczak Wb record this format only with the AA prefix. The AR prefix is uncatalogued, absent from all references and auction records. ... Read more →

AR Prefix — Poland 1994, 50 Zlotych Specimen with Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' (Uncatalogued)

The most dramatic AR-prefix variety, this note bears a bold perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' across the portrait, with printer annotations linking it to De La Rue’s archival process. Unlike the Red Overprint (Pick 175as / Miłczak Wb, AA only) and the Approval / Wzór akceptacyjny bez nadruków (Miłczak Wc, AA only), the perforated type is completely absent from all references. It is entirely uncatalogued. ... Read more →

Italy ND (1868) — Banco di Napoli Fede di Credito 50–200 Lire (Specimen)

Specimen Fede di Credito from the Banco di Napoli, engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. during the early years of the unified Kingdom of Italy. The Banco di Napoli traced its roots back to charitable institutions founded in 1539, making it one of Europe’s oldest surviving banks. ... Read more →

Australia ca.1963 — Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney £5 Travellers Cheque (Specimen)

Specimen traveller’s cheque for £5 issued by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, Limited. Printed in blue and green with the same allegorical vignette of a child with fleece used across the series, embodying the themes of trust, productivity, and growth. The CBC of Sydney was a cornerstone of Australian finance, founded in 1834 and later merging into the National Australia Bank. ... Read more →

Australia ca.1963 — Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney £2 Travellers Cheque (Specimen)

Specimen traveller’s cheque for £2 issued by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, Limited. Printed in green with an allegorical vignette depicting a child with fleece, symbolizing prosperity, trade, and trust — central ideals in Australian colonial iconography. Traveller’s cheques were part of a major postwar shift in how Australians accessed funds overseas. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 — 1000 Cruzeiros (Specimen, Pick 181s, TDLR)

Specimen of the 1000 Cruzeiros printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company, London, bearing red SPECIMEN overprint, punch cancellations, and De La Rue’s oval control marks. The note is labeled Estampa 2A / Série 791A with zero serials, confirming its archival or approval status rather than an issued piece. The 1963 series was produced near the end of Brazil’s first Cruzeiro era, when inflation prompted increasingly higher denominations. ... Read more →