Collection

Brazil — Tesouro Nacional, Undated ‘Valor Legal’ Test Proof

Typography and layout test prepared for the Tesouro Nacional, featuring the arced inscription 'TESOURO NACIONAL' and upper legend 'VALOR LEGAL'. Printed without denomination or date on thin archival paper, this undated printer’s trial was created to evaluate font weight, curvature, and typographic balance for potential note headers. During the 1960s, Brazil’s currency authorities frequently requested printer samples to refine the national identity of Tesouro Nacional issues. ... Read more →

Brazil — Tesouro Nacional, Prefix Test Proof “Estampa 3ª Série 000a”

Printer’s serial and prefix trial sheet bearing three bold red impressions reading 'ESTAMPA 3ª SÉRIE 000a'. Produced as an undated archival test without denomination, vignette, or design. Such prefix tests allowed press operators to calibrate numbering wheels and ink density before full production of Tesouro Nacional banknotes. ... Read more →

Brazil 1964 — 100 Cruzeiros (Essay Face Proof, SCWPM 170b)

Large-format essay face proof for a proposed 100 Cruzeiros design, mounted on card and attributed to the early Tesouro Nacional redesign period of the 1960s. This archival printer’s pull demonstrates the face layout considered for adoption under SCWPM 170b, with unfinished margins and unprinted color fields typical of pre-production material. Essays such as this served as presentation pieces for government and bank approval before finalizing plate engravings. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 — 1000 Cruzeiros (Specimen, Pick 181s, TDLR)

Specimen of the 1000 Cruzeiros printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company, London, bearing red SPECIMEN overprint, punch cancellations, and De La Rue’s oval control marks. The note is labeled Estampa 2A / Série 791A with zero serials, confirming its archival or approval status rather than an issued piece. The 1963 series was produced near the end of Brazil’s first Cruzeiro era, when inflation prompted increasingly higher denominations. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 — 5 Cruzeiros (Specimen, Pick 176bs, TDLR, Top Pop)

Thomas De La Rue specimen of the 5 Cruzeiros denomination, showing red SPECIMEN overprint, circular punch cancels, and zero serials. Certified PMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated and noted Top Pop, this piece demonstrates the exceptional condition of De La Rue’s retained production samples. The 5 Cruzeiros was the entry-level note in the 1963 issue, combining classic British engraving motifs—crisp guilloche, strong vignette framing, and color separation—with Brazilian iconography. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 — 100 Cruzeiros (Specimen, Pick 180s, TDLR)

Specimen of the 100 Cruzeiros printed by Thomas De La Rue & Co. Ltd., marked by a red SPECIMEN overprint, punch cancels, and De La Rue control ovals at the margin. Identified as Estampa 2A / Série 216A, this note typifies the elegant late-period Cruzeiro designs that bridged classic British engraving with emerging modernist trends in Brazilian note art. ... Read more →

Luxembourg ND (1982) — 1000 Francs (Specimen, Pick 52Bs)

Specimen from Luxembourg’s cancelled 1982 emergency issue, the country’s most ambitious independent printing project of the 20th century. Technically it represents Bradbury Wilkinson & Co.’s final generation of deep-relief intaglio portraiture—Grand Duchess Charlotte rendered in a style already vanishing from European currency as photolithographic techniques took over. The 1000 Francs carried an exquisite guilloche architecture, tonal cross-hatching, and watermark placement calculated for mechanized verification rather than hand inspection. ... Read more →

Luxembourg ND (1982) — 1000 Francs (Color Trial Specimen, Pick 52Bcts)

Color-trial specimen for the unissued 1000 Francs, pulled at Bradbury Wilkinson to test pigment balance and optical contrast before final approval. Each pass adjusted violet and green tones to preserve the Duchess’s facial relief while maintaining anti-counterfeit micro-contrast within the guilloches. The note demonstrates how intaglio depth interacts with multi-stone offset when the printer seeks harmony rather than dominance. ... Read more →

Luxembourg ND (1982) — 1000 Francs (Proof, Pick 52Bp)

Large-margined plate proof of the unissued 1000 Francs, capturing Bradbury Wilkinson’s line work before color separation. On thick archival stock, the engraving reads like a topographic map—each ridge a micro-decision of burin pressure. PMG 55 EPQ Top Pop 1/1. ... Read more →

Luxembourg ND (1982) — 500 Francs (Specimen, Pick 52As)

Specimen from the same unreleased 1982 emergency series, a mid-denomination companion to the 1000 Francs. Technically, it showcases Bradbury Wilkinson’s mastery in translating classical portraiture into secure banknote design: deep-bite intaglio with an even ink film, perfectly registered with offset underprint that keeps micro-lines open at every pressure setting. PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated. ... Read more →

Luxembourg ND (1982) — 500 Francs (Proof, Pick 52Ap)

Engraver’s proof for the 500 Francs of 1982, wide-margined and printed on heavy archival paper to expose every nuance of line weight before color overlays. Under magnification the burin work shows the transitional style of late BWC engraving—mechanically assisted but still hand-finished. PMG 66 EPQ Top Pop 1/1. ... Read more →

Luxembourg 1970 — 100 Francs (Specimen, Pick 56s, Archival Gridlines)

Archival specimen of the 1970 100 Francs with the printer’s blue registration grid still visible—a genuine working-press artifact from De La Rue’s London works. The grid was used to verify alignment and spacing before committing to steel; every visible intersection documents the physical geometry behind the finished currency. PMG 65 EPQ Gem Uncirculated. ... Read more →