Collection PL

El Salvador 1999 - 25 Colones Specimen (Pick 155s)

This specimen represents the terminal proof stage of the 25 Colones before the introduction of the U.S. dollar in 2001. It retains all key security features-watermark, metallic thread, and color-shifting inks-while being clearly marked to prevent circulation. Distributed in small numbers to institutional archives and printer files. Read more →

Poland 1940 - 10 Zlotych Contemporary Counterfeit with WERTLOS Stamp (Pick 94x)

A bold purple 'WERTLOS' (worthless) overprint was applied across the face, likely as an official or resistance-era cancellation after discovery. Printed on correct paper bearing the Zigzag Lines watermark, it exhibits wide left margins typical of sheet-fed counterfeit runs. Read more →

Poland 1940 - 10 Zlotych Bank Emisyjny Series F Giesecke & Devrient (Pick 94a)

The obverse features allegorical female figures representing Industry and Agriculture within an ornate architectural composition, with a crowned female head at left. The reverse carries ornamental designs surrounding the denomination and central watermark area. The paper uses a zigzag-line watermark. Read more →

Poland 1929 - 10 Zlotych Issued Note Miłczak 68 (Pick 69)

Obverse: allegorical Industry and Agriculture flank the national arms within ornate guilloché and geometric framing. Reverse: intertwined floral/mechanical motifs echo late-1920s industrial optimism. Watermark: King Bolesław I Chrobry with denomination “10 ZŁ” beneath - a multitonal design introduced in 1926 that became the standard for circulation notes. Read more →

Poland 1926 - Bank Polski 10 Zlotych Archival Watermarked Paper (Miłczak 64)

Blank paper stock prepared for the 1926 10 Zlotych issue, classified by PMG as Watermarked Paper. Read more →

Poland 1919 - Bank Polski 100 Zlotych Serial S.B. 5482263 Issued Note (Pick 57)

The design combines blue-grey engraving with a warm brown underprint. Acanthus ornament, intricate guilloche work, corner denomination panels, and a distinctive repeating border surround the principal elements. An unprinted oval field at right contains the profile watermark of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, joining the patriotic subject of the engraved portrait with the note's principal paper-security feature. Read more →

Poland 1919 - 1000 Zlotych Unissued Note (Pick 59a)

The note’s design is a tour de force of neobaroque ornamentation: elaborate guilloches, scrolling acanthus motifs, and a commanding layout that conveyed prestige. Like the smaller denominations, it features Tadeusz Kosciuszko on the obverse, reinforcing his role as the symbolic figurehead of the 1919 series. Measuring 181 × 111 mm, it impresses with both scale and detail, and its watermark also carries Kosciuszko’s likeness as a security device. Read more →

Poland 1940 - 10 Zlotych Printing Remnants Forgery Workshop Underprint (Miłczak 94)

The paper is of the same type as the original issue, including watermark, underscoring the sophistication of the operation. Such workshop remnants rarely survive, as they were typically destroyed once full notes were completed or abandoned. This example is preserved in a descriptive PMG holder (labeled 'Printing Remnants'), without an assigned numeric grade. By appearance, it remains close to original emission quality, showing crisp paper and fresh inks with no obvious circulation wear. Read more →

Poland 1933 - 25 Zlotych Investment Fund Voucher, Series I Bon Funduszu Inwestycyjnego (Lucow 732)

Investment Fund Voucher for 25 złotych, dated 1 December 1933 and issued by the Ministry of the Treasury of the Second Republic of Poland. Series I, with an especially attractive serial number 38888*. Certified PMG 55 EPQ, confirming original paper quality and freshness. These vouchers were printed with two different watermark types - both positive and negative patterns - making them a fascinating technical product as well as a financial one. Read more →

Poland 1940 - 500 Zlotych Series B Unfinished Print Fragment (Pick 98)

Comparison with a completed 500 złotych note makes the unfinished state particularly revealing. On the finished obverse, the Highlander is a repeated visual motif: the principal engraved portrait occupies the right side of the design, while a second Highlander head appears as the watermark in the paper at left. On B 2048322, the watermark is already present in the paper, but the corresponding printed portrait and the remainder of the principal obverse design were never applied. Read more →

Austria 1800 - Wiener Stadt Banco 1 Gulden Issued Note (Pick A29a)

The design is entirely typographic, consistent with early Banco-Zettel issues. Decorative borders, calligraphic denomination panels, and imperial insignia are arranged symmetrically to convey authority and legibility rather than pictorial narrative. Security relied on paper technology rather than engraving complexity, most notably a prominent watermark displaying the value in both Arabic and Roman numerals, visible under transmitted light. Read more →

Austria 1800 - Wiener Stadt Banco 5 Gulden Issued Note (Pick A33)

The note’s design reflects the mature typographic language of the Wiener Stadt Banco. Authority and trust are conveyed through dense calligraphic text, a rigorously symmetrical layout, and clearly articulated denomination panels. Security depended on material and structural features rather than pictorial imagery, including multiple blind embossed seals, hand-applied elements, and a complex watermark system displaying the value in both Arabic and Roman numerals. These measures represent a deliberate, pre-industrial approach to counterfeit deterrence, optimized for a multi-regional empire. Read more →