Collection PL

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

This note is a true specimen, not intended for circulation, and was produced as part of Bradbury, Wilkinson’s export engraving program for colonial banks. The design reflects late Victorian security printing conventions: a balanced bilateral layout with allegorical female vignettes, dense blue underprinting, and wide margins characteristic of British-engraved export notes. At left, a young woman holding a lamb symbolizes prosperity and trust; at right, a classical female figure represents authority and stability. Together these figures formed a visual reassurance to depositors and merchants in Sydney and other colonial financial centers. Read more →

Australia 1905–1910 - Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Specimen Proof (Pick Unlisted)

The note’s design captures the late-Edwardian peak of Bradbury, Wilkinson craftsmanship: elaborate guilloché, multicolour underprint, and symbolic vignettes including a cherub with a ram’s head representing commerce and abundance. Its heavy perforations and broad margins identify it as a proof rather than a circulation specimen, created to demonstrate design and engraving quality before full production. Read more →

Australia 1900 - Bank of New South Wales £20 Sydney Circular Note Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The design combines formal banking script with an elaborate vertical security panel carrying "BANK OF N.S.W." at the left and a large yellow-gold denomination underprint extending across the central field. The paper is surrounded by a pale blue border and carries a major security feature in the form of a large BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES watermark accompanied by oversized ornamental watermark elements extending across much of the sheet. Read more →

Australia 1890 - Bank of New South Wales £10 Brisbane Circular Note Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The design combines formal banking script with an elaborate vertical engraved security panel at left carrying "BANK OF N.S.W." and a large yellow-gold underprint built around the denomination 10 across the central field. The paper is framed by a pale blue border and carries a large BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES watermark together with oversized surrounding ornamental watermark elements extending across much of the sheet. Read more →

Australia 1900 - Bank of New South Wales £10 London Circular Note Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The face combines formal script with a large yellow-gold underprint built around the denomination 10 and an elaborate vertical engraved security panel at left containing "BANK OF N.S.W." The note is printed on pale blue-edged security paper carrying a large BANK OF NEW SOUTH WALES watermark together with broad surrounding ornamental watermark elements extending across much of the sheet. Read more →

Australia 1890 - Bank of New South Wales £10 Melbourne Circular Note Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The face is dominated by a large yellow-gold denomination underprint extending through the central field, combined with fine script, denomination lettering, and an elaborate vertical security panel at left containing "BANK OF N.S.W." The surrounding pale blue paper border creates a strong visual frame around the otherwise lightly printed central field. Read more →

New Zealand 1924-1925 - Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings with SPECIMEN Perforation Front Proof (Pick S231p1)

The note features a finely engraved portrait of the Māori rangatira Tamati Waka Nene (1780–1871), leader of Ngāpuhi and an early ally of British settlement-one of the first indigenous statesmen ever depicted on a Commonwealth banknote. Surrounding the portrait are complex guilloché patterns and a two-tone lilac-and-ochre tint underprint demonstrating the peak of Bradbury Wilkinson’s late-Edwardian plate craftsmanship. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Color Trial Specimen (Omar al-Mukhtar Portrait, Pick 37cts)

In this trial, particular attention was given to the interaction between the deeply engraved intaglio portrait and the multitone underprint. Omar al-Mukhtar’s likeness is rendered with dense cross-hatching and fine facial modeling, requiring precise balance between key plate pressure and background ink load to prevent tonal collapse or loss of detail at speed. Flesh tones, background hues, and ornamental fields were evaluated together to ensure legibility, contrast, and visual authority across the full note. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Specimen (Omar al-Mukhtar Portrait, Pick 37s)

This specimen captures the precise point at which the engraving, underprint palette, and security architecture were formally locked for production. The portrait of Omar al-Mukhtar-engraved with deep-bite intaglio and dense cross-hatching-is fully integrated with the surrounding guilloche network and multitone background fields. Unlike earlier color trials or vignette proofs, no experimental elements remain; all visual and technical decisions have been finalized. Read more →

Libya 1971 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37a, Without Arabic Inscription)

From a production standpoint, Pick 37a establishes the baseline issued configuration of the 10 Dinars note. The intaglio key plate, portrait relief, underprint geometry, and watermark usage correspond exactly to the final design approved for circulation. This allows later modifications to be studied in isolation, without the complication of concurrent re-engraving or security restructuring. Read more →

Libya 1972 - Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37b, With Arabic Inscription)

The addition of the inscription reflects administrative consolidation rather than a redesign of the note’s security or artistic elements. The portrait die of Omar al-Mukhtar, the guilloche framework, underprint palette, and watermark usage remain unchanged, confirming that the inscription was applied as a typographic layer without disturbing the intaglio engraving. Read more →

Portugal 1917 - Banco de Portugal 50 Mil Réis Specimen (Pick 110s)

Specimen of the Banco de Portugal 50 Mil Réis, the grandest denomination of the First Republic’s intricate 1916–1919 issue. Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, without serials or signatures and perforated SPECIMEN, it reveals the full design before numbering and underprint were applied. PMG 35 Choice Very Fine. Read more →