Collection PL

Japan 1989 - Komori Currency Technology Intaglio Test Note Mr. Komori

Large-format intaglio test piece produced by Komori Currency Technology on genuine banknote paper. The face presents a finely engraved portrait of Mr. Komori alongside dense Asiatic floral scrolls and security guilloché intended to demonstrate line fidelity, tonal build, and plate pressure control. Test notes of this class were never meant for circulation; they functioned as printer’s showpieces and training standards for press crews, plate checkers, and clients evaluating capability. Read more →

Great Britain 1997 - Thomas De La Rue 100 Units Test Note Portal Watermark

A rare Thomas De La Rue test note, issued as a demonstration piece rather than circulating currency. Dated ND (1997), this 100 Units note was printed to showcase De La Rue’s advanced banknote security design, incorporating microtext, guilloche patterns, and the portal watermark. The obverse features a portrait of Thomas De La Rue with multicolor lathework and the company’s headquarters vignette. Test notes like this were produced for presentations, sales demonstrations, and security trials, not for public issue, and remain highly sought after by collectors. Read more →

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

Experimental intaglio test note printed around the 1970s by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the Giori multicolor press system. Named for engineer Giovanni Giori, these sheets were used to evaluate multi-plate registration, color density, and press alignment on machinery that would later define modern currency production. The design known as the Jefferson Center joins engraved portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Ulysses S. Grant beneath a partial UNITED STATES OF AMERICA banner serving as a calibration reference. Read more →

United States ca. 1970s – C.O.P.E. Experimental Test Note Serial A82432955A

Blank-format experimental note printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing during the 1970s as part of internal testing for the C.O.P.E. (Currency Overprinting and Processing Equipment) program. This machinery represented a major modernization step in U.S. currency production, automating serial numbering, seal application, and sheet cutting for the first time on a fully integrated system. Read more →

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

This engraved test note by the American Bank Note Company (ABNCo) represents one of the firm’s most enduring demonstration designs, known as the 'Series of 1929' specimen. Although dated 1929, these were printed decades later-primarily in the 1960s and 1970s-as house proofs and sales samples showcasing engraving precision, watermark technology, and later innovations such as foil-thread anti-counterfeiting devices. Read more →