Collection PL

Paraguay 1856 — 2 Reales Tesoro Nacional (Earliest National Paper Money)

Earliest known national paper money of Paraguay — the 2 Reales Tesoro Nacional note issued circa 1856 under President Carlos Antonio Lopez. Printed locally in Asuncion on thin handmade paper, this inaugural emission predates all Pick-listed Paraguayan notes and represents the first attempt by the Treasury to create circulating paper currency. Design elements include the national seal with the lion and liberty cap, ornate perimeter borders, and large denomination numerals at each side. ... Read more →

Australia 1929 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited — Circular Letter of Introduction Photographic Proof (Mounted on Cardstock, PCGS 50 About New)

This photographic proof represents a Circular Letter of Introduction prepared for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited during the late interwar period. Such documents functioned as formal financial identification instruments, issued to bank clients traveling abroad to establish identity, credibility, and recognized standing within an international banking network. In practical use, the holder would present the letter to correspondent banks, which would acknowledge the issuing institution and extend services based on that established relationship. ... Read more →

1875 — 5 Shillings Victoria Consular Revenue Tied Diplomatic Document (British Consulate, Alexandria)

High-value British consular certificate issued at Her Britannic Majesty’s Consulate in Alexandria on 9 September 1875, bearing the scarce 5 Shillings Queen Victoria Consular Service revenue stamp. The document certifies a civil status event and is fully executed with period manuscript, the embossed consular arms, and the oval BRITISH CONSULATE ALEXANDRIA datestamp tying the fiscal adhesive to the sheet. The large-format 5/– Consular Service adhesive was reserved for significant legal acts such as notarisation, registration, attestations, and inheritance or identity confirmations. ... Read more →

Egypt 1930 — Greece Ministry of Foreign Affairs Handwritten Arabic Consular Testimonial (Cairo Consulate)

Original handwritten Arabic testimonial issued by the Consulate of the Kingdom of Greece in Cairo in 1930, executed entirely in period Arabic manuscript—an exceptionally rare linguistic and administrative crossover. European consulates in Egypt almost never issued documents in Arabic; Greek consular paperwork of this era was typically prepared in Greek or French, making this Arabic-language issuance a near-unique example of cross-cultural legal administration. The document carries a full, sharply struck royal Greek consular seal in red, displaying the crowned cross-and-shield emblem of the Kingdom of Greece surrounded by the bilingual Greek–French inscription identifying the Cairo consulate. ... Read more →

Egypt 1914–1915 — Egyptian Red Crescent Society (Khedivial Era Membership Receipts, Two-Document Set)

Pair of original Egyptian Red Crescent Society membership receipts from 1914 and 1915, both issued on cream wove paper and printed with the early Khedivial-era layout. Each sheet carries the large red Crescent emblem at top center, rendered in thick oil-based ink with slight unevenness at the edges typical of hand-inked early Red Crescent forms. Beneath the emblem appears the full institutional title in classical Arabic script, followed by the patronage line noting the protection of the Khedivial household and the presidency of His Highness Prince Mohamed Ali. ... Read more →

Egypt 1907 — First Issue Revenues 1 & 2 Milliemes Tied on Official Document

Official Egyptian internal-security and licensing document dated 1907, printed on pale beige government stock with a pre-ruled bilingual Arabic–French layout. The sheet contains early Khedivial administrative headings at top right (وزارة الداخلية – قسم الضبط) and preprinted lines for applicant name, profession, address, and licensing purpose. All fields are completed in dark brown dip-pen ink with flowing early 20th-century handwriting. ... Read more →

Egypt 1931 — Singer Sewing Machine Co. Booklet with Tied Singer Revenues

Original 1931 Singer Sewing Machine Company service and instalment booklet issued in Cairo, printed on tan card stock with the standard Singer Manufacturing Company masthead, including the New York parent company reference at top. The front cover shows the booklet form number 'Form. 60/c. ... Read more →

Egypt 1911 — The Odeon Hall, Cairo Gold Watch Repair Invoice

Early 1911 invoice from The Odeon Hall in Cairo, one of the city’s most modern pre-war establishments combining gramophone sales, watchmaking, and luxury retail. Issued for the repair of a gold watch, the bilingual French–Arabic letterhead advertises phonographs, records, and precision horological services, reflecting Egypt’s rapid adoption of European technology and leisure culture. The page displays a refined pre-war commercial aesthetic: scrolling decorative borders, clear French titles with Arabic equivalents, and balanced typesetting characteristic of early Cairo printing houses. ... Read more →

Egypt 1912 — Allen, Alderson & Co. Machinery Agents, Alexandria (Illustrated Letterhead)

Spectacular illustrated industrial letterhead from Allen, Alderson & Co., Alexandria, dated 18 January 1912. The firm served as engineering agents and importers for major British manufacturers such as Ruston, Proctor & Co., supplying steam engines, boilers, pumps, and milling equipment to Egypt’s rapidly modernising industrial and agricultural sectors. The sheet features a refined bilingual English–Arabic masthead identifying the company as agents, importers, and engineers active throughout the Delta and Upper Egypt. ... Read more →

1931 — Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Cairo Correspondence Set (Letter, Registered Cover, and Account Statement)

Complete 1931 Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Cairo correspondence set consisting of three original components: a printed bank letterhead with bilingual Arabic–French text, the matching addressed postal cover bearing a King Fuad 5m franking and Cairo postal strikes, and the full Konto–Korrent account statement issued to the same client on the same date. Taken together, these documents preserve the complete administrative chain between the German overseas bank's Cairo branch and one of its Egyptian clients during the interwar period. ... Read more →

Egypt 1918 — Banque Belge pour l’Étranger, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original cheque issued by the Cairo branch of Banque Belge pour l'Étranger on 2 September 1918, produced during the final phase of the First World War. The form is printed on light cream security stock with a richly engraved Art Nouveau header. Along the left margin runs a vertical ornamental cartouche enclosing the bank’s interlocking monogram and the legend BANQUE BELGE POUR L'ÉTRANGER – LE CAIRE, framed by a list of the bank’s principal branches in BRUXELLES, LONDRES, ROTTERDAM, LE CAIRE, ALEXANDRIE, SHANGHAI, PEKIN and TIENTSIN. ... Read more →

Egypt 1923 — Banco di Roma, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original Banco di Roma cheque issued in Cairo on 17 November 1923, printed on cream security paper with a richly engraved Roman header characteristic of interwar Italian banknote and cheque design. At the upper left, within an elaborate vertical cartouche of scrollwork and rosettes, appears the iconic Capitoline Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus. This emblem served as the visual shorthand for Banco di Roma's institutional identity and its projection of Italian national symbolism abroad. ... Read more →