Collection PL

Jersey 1840 — Bible Christian Church, Royal Crescent £1 Remainder (Pick Unlisted)

Unissued £1 remainder note of the Bible Christian Church, Royal Crescent, Jersey — a rare surviving artifact from the early 19th-century Methodist movement on the Channel Islands. Printed in blue on thin, high-quality wove paper with a large circular watermark, the piece was intended as a church-backed promissory note payable in British Sterling, guaranteed by the trustees of the congregation. The engraving features an architectural vignette of the Royal Crescent Chapel and elaborate script typography typical of 1835–1845 provincial printing. ... Read more →

Macau 1937 — Foo Hang Bank 10 Patacas Archival Printer Proof Compound Sheet (Pick S105)

An archival printer proof compound sheet prepared for the Foo Hang Bank of Macau in 1937 for the 10 patacas denomination associated with Pick S105. This pre-issue proof material survives as a single intact sheet and represents internal security-printing output created for reference, approval, and archival control rather than public circulation. Foo Hang Bank operated in Macau during a period when the territory functioned as a distinct monetary and commercial enclave within southern China. ... Read more →

Martinique 1870 — Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Unissued Cheque (Pick P.5A)

An unissued cheque for one franc prepared for the Banque de la Martinique and intended for use at Saint-Pierre, dating from the early period of organized colonial banking on the island. Classified as Pick P.5A, this form represents a non-circulating banking instrument rather than a circulating banknote, designed for internal settlement, account debiting, and controlled monetary transfers within the colonial financial system. The Banque de la Martinique was established as part of France’s overseas banking framework, created to stabilize currency supply and facilitate commercial credit in the Caribbean colonies. ... Read more →

Martinique 1870 — Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Cheque Recovered After the 1902 Mount Pelée Eruption (Pick P.5A)

A Banque de la Martinique one franc cheque form, Pick P.5A, originally printed for use at Saint-Pierre during the late nineteenth century and later recovered from the ruins of the city following the catastrophic eruption of Mount Pelée on 8 May 1902. Although printed decades earlier as part of the bank’s standardized cheque issue, this surviving example was never negotiated as a financial instrument and instead entered history as a disaster-recovery relic, explicitly identified as such by contemporary handwritten annotations. The printed face follows the established Banque de la Martinique cheque format, bearing the heading “Chèque sur la Banque de la Martinique,” internal control marking “B.P.F. ... Read more →

South Africa 1828 — Cape of Good Hope Bank 5 Shillings Pre-Issue Sample (Pick S171p)

This note represents a pre-issue sample of the Cape of Good Hope Bank five shillings denomination, produced in the late 1820s during the formative period of private banking in the Cape Colony, well before the bank was formally authorized to commence operations. It predates all circulating issues of the institution and belongs to the earliest documentary layer of South African private-bank paper money. The Cape of Good Hope Bank occupies a unique position in South African monetary history. ... Read more →

South Africa 1861 — Montagu Bank 5 Pounds Remainder (Pick S231r)

This note is an unissued remainder of the Montagu Bank five pounds denomination, produced in the early 1860s during the brief operational life of one of the Cape Colony’s most distinctive private commercial banks. As the highest denomination authorized by the Montagu Bank, the five pounds issue occupied the uppermost tier of the institution’s monetary structure and was intended for large commercial settlements, capital transactions, and internal accounting rather than routine daily exchange. The Montagu Bank was established in 1861 at a time when local banking was widely regarded as essential to trade and economic development within the Cape Colony. ... Read more →

United States 1854 — Empire City Bank 100 Dollars Proof (Pick NY1585G16P)

This note represents a proof of the one hundred dollars denomination prepared for the Empire City Bank of New York during the final year of the institution’s operation. It was produced as part of the internal design approval and engraving review process and was never intended for public circulation. As such, it belongs to the documentary layer of American private banknote production rather than to issued or remainder currency. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 1970 — Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Unissued Back Photographic Proof

This unissued photographic proof represents the back design prepared for the one dollar denomination of the Cayman Islands Currency Board during the late colonial monetary period around 1970. The object survives as a standalone design-stage artifact and documents a phase in which the reverse layout, ornamental balance, and security composition were evaluated independently as a complete surface in its own right. The Cayman Islands Currency Board operated within a conservative monetary framework characteristic of British Caribbean administration, where visual restraint, symmetry, and institutional clarity were prioritized in currency design. ... Read more →

Poland 1928 — Bank Polski 20 Zlotych Archival Watermarked Paper (Miłczak 67)

This archival sheet represents an original watermark paper prepared by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited in London for the 20 złotych banknote dated 2 January 1928 for Bank Polski. The banknote itself was never introduced into circulation, and surviving material from this project is known almost exclusively in specimen form. The present piece preserves the production substrate — the multitone watermark paper — rather than a printed banknote. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 1970 — Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Unissued Back Photographic Proof

This unissued photographic proof represents the reverse design prepared for the five dollars denomination of the Cayman Islands Currency Board during the transitional monetary planning period around 1970. The piece survives as a standalone back design proof and documents a stage at which the reverse composition was evaluated independently before any finalized pairing with an approved obverse. The Cayman Islands Currency Board operated under a disciplined currency board framework derived from British colonial monetary practice. ... Read more →

Confederate States of America 1864 — CSA No Denomination Archival Watermarked Paper

Blank watermarked paper stock prepared for Confederate Treasury note production during the Civil War period, certified by PCGS as CSA Watermarked Paper. This archival sheet represents original Confederate paper bearing the large embedded 'CSA' watermark, visible under transmitted light. The watermark was introduced as a security measure in the Confederacy’s later issues, particularly during 1864 production, as counterfeiting became increasingly widespread under wartime conditions. ... Read more →

Luxembourg 1966 — 20 Francs Issued Note (Pick 54a)

Issued twenty francs note of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg dated 1966, representing the first fully matured expression of the Grand Duke Jean series within the Belgian Luxembourg Economic Union framework. Printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company, London, this denomination reflects the point where design, engraving, and production discipline reached stable standardization for Luxembourg’s circulating paper money. The obverse features Grand Duke Jean in formal military attire, engraved in deep intaglio with controlled line density and consistent ink distribution. ... Read more →