Collection PL

North Macedonia 1996 — 500 Denari Specimen Golden Death Mask GA0000000 No. 006 (Pick 17s)

This official De La Rue printer specimen records the finalized design of the 500 Denari denomination from the Republic of Macedonia’s inaugural post-independence banknote series issued in 1996. Prepared for internal verification and institutional reference, the specimen preserves the complete production artwork while being permanently invalidated for monetary use. The note displays the full set of Thomas De La Rue & Company specimen control devices. ... Read more →

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

The 500 Denari banknote dated January 2003 represents a continuation printing of the denomination within the banknote program of the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia. While maintaining the established design introduced in the 1996 series, the 2003 issue reflects a later production batch prepared by Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited in London, preserving the same national imagery while refining color balance and background guilloche structures. At the center of the design remains the Golden Mask motif derived from the funerary mask discovered at the archaeological site of Trebeništa near Ohrid, dating to the 6th century BCE. ... Read more →

Poland 1988 — 50 Złotych Prefix HK Issued Note (Pick 142c)

The 50 Złotych banknote dated 'Warszawa, 1 Grudnia 1988' represents one of the final circulating issues of the Polish People's Republic before the monetary and political transformations of the early 1990s. Printed by Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych in Warsaw for the Narodowy Bank Polski, the denomination formed part of the 1986–1988 modernization of the circulating banknote series. The obverse presents the portrait of General Karol Świerczewski, a military figure associated with the communist period of Polish history. ... Read more →

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

Matched front and back proof pair of the 20 Dollars banknote issued by The Bank of Nova Scotia of Halifax, Nova Scotia, dated 22 July 1896. Engraved and printed by the American Bank Note Company of New York, the pair documents the approval stage of one of the most elaborate chartered banknote designs produced in Canada during the late nineteenth century. The front proof is printed in black and white, the standard format used for die and plate approval. ... Read more →

Greenland 1856 — 6 Skilling R.M. Danish Administration Colonial Remainder (Pick A33r)

Unissued 6 Skilling Rigsmoent note prepared for the Danish colonial administration in Greenland, dated 1856 and printed in Copenhagen under royal contract. Catalogued as Pick A33r, this is a remainder issue, never signed or released for circulation. It belongs to the earliest organized currency system of Greenland, a period when the island's economy operated almost entirely through the Royal Greenland Trading Department. ... Read more →

France 1793 — Domaines Nationaux Assignat 10 Sous Block 305, Watermark RF/Xs (Pick A68b)

Small‑change assignat issued by the Revolutionary government for the sale and administration of the 'Domaines Nationaux'—property confiscated from the Crown, Church and émigrés. These fractional notes functioned as day‑to‑day money during the inflationary years of the Revolution. The face shows the typographic layout introduced for the small denominations: a classical frame with civic emblems and the famous border mottos 'LA LOI PUNIT DE MORT LE CONTREFACTEUR' and 'LA NATION RÉCOMPENSE LE DÉNONCIATEUR'. ... Read more →

France 1793 — Domaines Nationaux Assignat 50 Sols Série 681 Watermark RF/50s (Pick A70b)

Fifty‑sols assignat from the 'Domaines Nationaux' series—fractional Revolutionary paper keyed to sales and rents of nationalized property but used broadly as transactional money. The denomination sits in a classical pediment supported by allegorical figures of Economy and Justice, a visual program meant to legitimize paper credit in a time of fiscal emergency. Design details include 'Loi du 23 Mai 1793', 'Série 681', the manuscript signature 'Fausny', an impressed state seal (timbre sec), and a purpose‑made watermark 'RF/50s'. ... Read more →

France 1792 — Domaines Nationaux Assignat 15 Sols Série 1808 (Pick A54)

Early small‑denomination assignat dated to the constitutional monarchy’s final months—'Loi du 4 Janvier 1792' and 'L’An Quatrième de la Liberté' appear in the header cartouches. Printed for the Domaines Nationaux program, these 15‑sol notes bridged everyday commerce and the land‑backed credit scheme that financed the Revolution. The frame is packed with didactic devices: laurel panels, civic emblems, the legal threats against forgers, and the reward to informers. ... Read more →

Italy 1870 — Banca Toscana di Anticipazioni e di Sconto 2 Lire (Pick Unlisted)

Florentine two‑lire "Bono di Cassa" authorized by Royal Decree of 24 April 1870 for the Banca Toscana di Anticipazioni e di Sconto. The face shows Dante Alighieri at left, a boldly engraved LIRE DUE tablet at center, and a red circular control seal of Florence—typical of Tuscan bank instruments immediately after unification. These cashier’s notes formed the short‑term liquidity layer of Italy’s regional banking scene in the 1860s–1870s, sitting between coin and larger banknotes. ... Read more →

Ireland 1940 — Northern Bank Limited £1 (Pick 178b)

Classic pre‑decimal £1 of Northern Bank Limited, Belfast, with the dramatic blue ONE counter across the center. Maritime and industrial vignettes reflect the bank’s Ulster customer base—shipping, linen, and engineering—and the note retains the ornate Victorian border language long favored by Northern Irish issuers. This is the black‑prefix and black‑serial variety recorded for 1940 within Pick 178b. ... Read more →

Ireland 1939–40 — Belfast Banking Company Limited £1 (Pick 126b)

£1 note of the Belfast Banking Company Limited, dated 9 November 1939, with the arms of Belfast and the bank’s name in a sweeping banner. The face carries the finely engraved counters "ONE" in the corners and a blue value panel through the promise text—an eye‑catching security feature on this inter‑war design. Pick 126b identifies the late 1930s series with blue serials; this example is prefixed E/M, a style used by the bank to manage branches and print batches. ... Read more →