Search Results for "year:<1900" - Collection

Australia 1880–1910 Commercial Bank of Australia £100 specimen, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

Australia 1880–1910 - Commercial Bank of Australia £100 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

This specimen carries prefix A1, placing it within the earliest control sequence (A1–A500). Evidence indicates that issued £100 notes were fully redeemed and destroyed, as high-denomination colonial notes typically had short life spans, strict redemption procedures, and low survival rates due to institutional consolidation. The perforated 'BW & Co LONDON' cancellation and printer annotations confirm that this example was withdrawn from production and preserved exclusively for archival or approval purposes. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen1880100 PoundsPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated Specimen100 PoundsHigh DenominationCommercial Bank of AustraliaBradbury WilkinsonBWCSands & McDougallColonial SpecimenBilingualChinese-EnglishPick UnlistedColonial Banking HistoryAustralian Private BanknotesPre-Notes Act Era19th Century BankingMulticultural Trade NetworksSecurity Printing HistoryBritish Engraving InfluenceAustralian Monetary HistoryAustralia188019101880–1910PMG 64Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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Australia 1877 City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 specimen engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson, PMG 62 Uncirculated, unique surviving example

Australia 1877 - City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The City of Melbourne Bank operated during a period when Victoria stood at the center of Australian financial power, fueled by gold-rush wealth and aggressive commercial expansion. Private banks competed directly for dominance, and their high-denomination notes functioned as instruments of confidence and institutional credibility rather than retail money. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen187720 PoundsPMG 62 Uncirculated Specimen20 PoundsCity of Melbourne Bank LimitedBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick UnlistedColonial SpecimenEngraved Security PrintingAustralian Private BanknotesVictoria Banking HistoryPre-Federation FinanceGold Rush Era BankingSecurity Printing History19th Century BankingAustralian Monetary HistoryAustraliaVictoria1877PMG 62Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company 1877 Portrait of Woman intaglio vignette proof, printer's library design element associated with the City of Melbourne Bank Limited 20 Pounds colonial Australian banknote design

Australia 1877 - Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company Portrait of Woman Intaglio Vignette Proof for City of Melbourne Bank Limited 20 Pounds Design (Pick Unlisted)

The portrait is presented within a narrow oval composition and depicts a young woman in three-quarter view, wearing a decorative head ornament and draped garment, with architectural detail visible in the background. The engraving is built from fine intaglio linework, controlled cross-hatching and carefully graduated tonal transitions, with particular attention given to the face, hair, clothing and background. Read more →

AustraliaVignette Proof1877Reference VignetteArchival Intaglio Proof Vignette ProofIntaglio Vignette ProofPortrait VignettePortrait of WomanEngraved PortraitPrinter's Library ElementPrinter's Design ArchiveProduction Stage ArtifactStandalone VignetteReference VignetteCity of Melbourne Bank Limited Design Source20 Pounds Design SourceBradbury, Wilkinson and CompanyBradbury, Wilkinson and Company LondonLondon Security PrinterIntaglio PrintingIntaglio EngravingSecurity EngravingBanknote PrintingSecurity PrintingPrivate Banknote ProductionProofing and Plate ApprovalDesign Verification ArtifactPick UnlistedAustralian Banking HistoryAustralian Colonial BankingPre Federation AustraliaVictoria Banking HistoryCity of Melbourne BankCity of Melbourne Bank LimitedColonial VictoriaPrivate Banknote TraditionNineteenth Century Paper MoneyVictorian Era EngravingHistoryAustraliaVictoria1877R9 Extremely RareUniqueMuseum Grade

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New Zealand Bank of Australasia £50 Christchurch proof note dated 1896, Victorian engraved colonial banknote printed by Perkins Bacon, PMG 55 proof

New Zealand 1896 - Bank of Australasia £50 Christchurch Proof (Pick Unlisted)

The Bank of Australasia, incorporated by Royal Charter in 1835, operated as one of the dominant British joint stock banks across Australia and New Zealand. By the 1890s, its New Zealand branches played a central role in commercial finance, agricultural settlement, and large scale mercantile transactions. The Christchurch office served as a major regional hub, making the Fifty Pounds denomination a practical upper tier instrument for institutional and wholesale banking use. Read more →

New ZealandProof189650 PoundsPMG 55 About Uncirculated Proof Banknote50 PoundsPre Issue ProofNon Circulating ProofInstitutional Presentation NoteBank of AustralasiaBritish Chartered BanksColonial Banking in New ZealandColonial FinanceBritish Security PrintingVictorian EngravingExport Engraved NotesNew ZealandChristchurch188819211896Pick UnlistedMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Australia Bank of Australasia 10 Pounds Melbourne proof note, early Victorian colonial banknote, Perkins Bacon engraving, PMG 45 proof

Australia 1835-1850 - Bank of Australasia £10 Melbourne Proof (Pick Unlisted)

This example serves as a primary documentary artifact of early Australian banking practice, British export engraving, and the institutional mechanics behind the first generation of colonial banknotes. Read more →

AustraliaProof183510 PoundsPMG 45 Choice Extremely Fine Proof Banknote10 PoundsPre Issue ProofNon Circulating ProofInstitutional Presentation NoteBank of AustralasiaEarly Australian BankingBritish Chartered BanksColonial FinanceBritish Security PrintingEarly Victorian EngravingExport Engraved NotesAustraliaMelbourne183518501835-1850Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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Brazil 1773 Tejuco Diamond Administration 6 Octavas gold receipt No. 813,

Brazil 1773 - Diamond Administration of Tejuco, 6 Octavas Gold Receipt No. 813 (Pick Unlisted)

Population and rarity: based on exhaustive market research-including archival dealer records, institutional catalogues, the Numisbids/Aureo/Santa Fe corpus, and the accessible Brazilian literature-no second example of this printed 1773 Tejuco diamond-administration receipt is known. No specimen is documented in public collections in Portugal or Brazil. As of today, this is the only confirmed surviving example. Read more →

BrazilFinancial Document17736 Octavas of GoldXF (Manuscript-Completed Fiscal Receipt) Financial DocumentDiamond DistrictPick unlisted1773 ReceiptNumber 8136 OctavasPortuguese Colonial BrazilCasa da Administração dos DiamantesMinas GeraisTejucoGold LedgerManuscript EntryFiscal FormRoyal Arms PortugalColonial Taxation18th Century FinancePortuguese EmpireBrazil1773R9 Extremely RareUniqueMuseum Grade

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Australia 1877 Mercantile Bank of Sydney £1 specimen with red ONE overprint, Pick Unlisted, printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., graded PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated Pop 1, only known example

Australia 1877 - Mercantile Bank of Sydney £1 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Produced in London by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., the note displays the firm’s finely controlled intaglio characteristic of the 1870s: geometric borders, elaborate guilloches, and a bold typographic layout. The large red overprint “ONE” identifies it as an internal specimen, intended for reference or approval rather than circulation. Its pristine surfaces, confirmed by PMG’s Exceptional Paper Quality designation, reflect its archival preservation and the superior paper stock used for BWC’s specimen and proof work. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen18771 PoundPMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated (Pop 1) Specimen1 PoundPick UnlistedRed OverprintColonial Private BankBradbury WilkinsonBWCMercantile Bank of SydneyNew South Wales Banking History19th Century FinanceAustralian Private IssuesSecurity Printing HistoryColonial PeriodAustralia1877Only Known ExampleR9 Extremely RareUniquePop 1Top PopPMG 66 EPQGem UncirculatedMuseum Grade

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Australia Federal Bank of Australia Limited one pound Sydney specimen printed by Bradbury Wilkinson, annotated 1882, PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated

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

The Federal Bank of Australia commenced operations in 1881 and expanded aggressively during the speculative land-boom years of the late nineteenth century. Its collapse during the catastrophic banking crisis of 1893 resulted in the rapid liquidation of assets and the withdrawal, redemption, and destruction of nearly all circulating notes. As a consequence, surviving material associated with the bank is almost entirely confined to printer’s proofs, archival specimens, and presentation examples retained outside Australia. Read more →

AustraliaSpecimen18791 PoundPMG 64 Choice Uncirculated (Annotated, Top Population) Specimen Banknote1 PoundPrinter SpecimenAnnotated SpecimenExport Engraved NoteLarge Format BanknoteBradbury WilkinsonBWCBritish Security PrintingVictorian Era EngravingPrivate Banknote ProductionFederal Bank of Australia LimitedAustralian Private BanksPre Federation AustraliaSydney Banking HistoryVictorian Banking Crisis1893 Banking CollapseAustraliaSydney187919031879–1903Pick UnlistedTop PopMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniqueAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations

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Complete nine-note Stockholm Spinnhus pollett monetary system from circa 1785, including all denominations from one half öre to one daler, preserved in unissued condition and classified as R10 extremely rare.

Sweden 1785 - Stockholm Spinnhus Pollett System – Complete Nine-Denomination Institutional Currency Set (One Half Öre to One Daler)

No Swedish institutional archive is known to hold a complete original set. Existing examples, when found, appear singly and often in lesser condition or as later restrikes. This privately assembled nine-note system, accumulated over nearly half a century, is believed to be the only surviving complete original series. Individually these notes measure at the highest rarity levels (R9+). As a unified and intact monetary system, the set attains R10 rarity, representing a uniquely preserved eighteenth-century institutional currency structure of profound historical and academic significance. Read more →

SwedenInstitutional Paper Currency Set1785Complete nine-note system: one half öre, one öre, two öre, five öre, six öre, seven öre, sixteen öre, twenty-four öre, one dalerUncirculated PollettInstitutional paper currencyEngraved copperplate noteEighteenth century rag paperAnopisthographic printingUnissuedUncirculatedStockholm engravingSwedish copperplate productionPre-industrial note manufactureStockholm SpinnhusLångholmen prison economyPenal labor currencyClosed economy tenderProto-fiat institutional moneyInternal monetary systemSweden1785One half öreOne öreTwo öreFive öreSix öreSeven öreSixteen öreTwenty-four öreOne dalerFull denomination setPick UnlistedR10 UniqueR10UniqueUnique Known ExampleUnique Set

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Italy 1871–1872 - Banca Italo-Germanica 250 Lire Specimen (Pick S976s)

As a museum-grade artifact of Italian financial history, a key reference piece for early Bradbury Wilkinson engraving, and one of the finest surviving private-banknote specimens from post-unification Italy, this 250 Lire note stands as a cornerstone in the study of failed monetary experiments and the evolution of modern Italian banking. Read more →

ItalySpecimen1871250 LirePMG 64 (Top Pop) Private BankOversizedSpecimenDouble Punch HolePunch Cancelled250 LireEngraved Security PaperProof and Archive PieceBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S976sItalian StatesPost Unification ItalyItalian Banking HistoryFailed Banknote IssuesGerman Capital in Italy19th Century FinanceNational AllegorySecurity Printing HistoryRome Banking ExperimentsUnissued Banknote ProjectItaly1871PMG 64Top PopR9 Extremely RareUniqueMuseum Grade

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Italy 1871 Germania with shield and spear vignette die proof engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson for the Banca Italo-Germanica 250 Lire (Pick PS976)

Italy 1871 - Standing Italia Vignette Die Proof used on Banca Italo-Germanica 250 Lire

This engraved Standing Italia vignette die proof was produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, and is directly connected to the Banca Italo-Germanica 250 Lire specimen of 1871-72, Pick S976, where the same engraving appears as the principal pictorial element within the left-side ornamental panel. The proof preserves the complete vignette as a stand-alone engraved component before its integration into the finished banknote design. Read more →

ItalyVignette1871-Uncirculated Italia AllegoryDie ProofBanca Italo-Germanica250 LireItalian StatesBradbury WilkinsonBWCItaly1871

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Uruguay 1872 100 Pesos equals 10 Doblones printer archival specimen, early serial number 010001, printed by Bradbury Wilkinson

Uruguay 1872 - Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 100 Pesos = 10 Doblones Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

The note was produced in London by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. as part of the bank’s highest-level security printing program. Its oversized format, broad unprinted margins, and finely executed intaglio engraving identify it as an archival specimen rather than a circulation note. The serial number 010001 places this piece at the very beginning of the production sequence, consistent with an early pull retained for reference, approval, or institutional record rather than public issue. Read more →

UruguaySpecimen1872100 Pesos = 10 DoblonesPMG 35 Choice Very Fine SpecimenPrinter Archival SpecimenDual DenominationGold EquivalenceEarly Pull Serial 010001Oversized FormatBradbury WilkinsonBWCLondon Security PrintingNineteenth Century EngravingArchival Reference NoteGold Standard ExperimentPeso Doblone ParityBanco de Londres y Rio de la PlataLatin American Monetary HistoryNineteenth Century State FinanceUruguayMontevideo1872Pick UnlistedMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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