Collection

Argentina 1884 — El Banco del Chaco 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro (Serial 15849)

Issued provincial note from El Banco del Chaco, Villa Ocampo branch, dated 1 Octubre 1884, printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, under Argentina’s Ley de Bancos Garantidos system. Hand-signed, Series I, serial 15849. The allegorical female personifies Agriculture, flanked by a dog and bull symbolizing loyalty, vigilance, and strength. ... Read more →

Argentina 1884 — El Banco del Chaco 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro (Serial 05056, Fragmented Example)

Partial issued note of El Banco del Chaco’s 1 Peso Moneda Nacional Oro, dated 1 Octubre 1884 and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., London, for the Villa Ocampo branch under the Ley de Bancos Garantidos provincial charter. The vignette centers on an allegory of Agriculture symbolizing prosperity and labor, flanked by a dog and bull for loyalty and strength—one of BWC’s finest small-format engravings for South America. Although the upper-right corner is missing, this early-serial piece (No. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1867 — Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado (Hand-Signed, Serial 55818)

Earliest known Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by the American Bank Note Company, New York. This inaugural issue inaugurates Uruguay’s classic ABNC ‘Commerce and Arms’ design, later reused in the 1871 re-authorization. The left vignette shows two allegorical female figures representing Abundance and Commerce; the right side carries the national coat of arms above crossed flags and laurel wreaths. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1871 — Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado (Dual Hand Signature, Serial 23286)

First re-issue of Banco Oriental’s 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 (but authorized under the 1871 charter). Printed by ABNC using the original 1867 plates. Two handwritten signatures in black ink mark the final phase of manual authorization before engraved facsimiles were introduced. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1871 — Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado (Transitional Hand Signature, Serial 35345)

Intermediate form of Banco Oriental’s Doblón series, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 and printed by ABNC in 1871. Serial 35345 carries a single hand-written signature in the same style later engraved for the facsimile printings. Serves as the bridge between dual manual and mechanical authorization phases. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1871 — Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado (Facsimile Signature, Serial 76048)

Standardized and final Banco Oriental 10 Pesos = 1 Doblón de Oro Sellado printing, dated 1 de Agosto de 1867 but executed around 1871 by ABNC in New York. Introduces the engraved facsimile signature that replaced manual signing, ensuring uniformity and production efficiency. Design identical to earlier re-issues: allegorical Commerce and national arms flanking the orange intaglio medallion. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1862 — 100 Pesos (Specimen)

This perforated specimen of the 1862 100 Pesos note was issued for the Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata, one of the earliest private commercial banks to operate in Uruguay and the wider River Plate region. Established in Buenos Aires in 1862 with a Montevideo branch soon after, the Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata became a pivotal institution linking South American trade with British capital, serving as a correspondent for international merchants and handling customs, shipping, and railway finance. Engraved and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1872 — 100 Pesos = 10 Doblones (Specimen)

Archival specimen of the 1872 issue of the Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata, denominated 100 Pesos Nacionales with an explicit equivalence to 10 Doblones in gold. This dual denomination was highly unusual in Latin American numismatics, serving as both a circulating promise and a political declaration of Uruguay’s attempt to stabilize paper currency by anchoring it to a fixed gold standard. The experiment was short-lived: by the late 1870s the peso–doblón equivalence had collapsed, making surviving notes a tangible record of one of Uruguay’s boldest but least sustainable monetary policies. ... Read more →

Argentina 1866 – Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata 1 Real (Rosario, PS1731, Bauman SFE 70, Type A)

Historical Context — Established in 1862, the Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata was the first major British-chartered bank to operate in the Southern Cone. Its Rosario branch, opened soon after Buenos Aires, served the fast-growing Santa Fe region, handling grain exports, shipping, and early railway finance. The 1 Real issue dated 15 December 1866 represents one of Argentina’s earliest fractional notes under foreign management. ... Read more →

Argentina 1866 – Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata 1 Real (Rosario, PS1731, Bauman SFE 70, Type B)

Historical Context — This note belongs to the same 1866 Rosario emission under the Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata, reflecting British financial integration into Argentina’s regional trade network. These early banknotes served daily commerce, circulating as substitutes for scarce silver coin in the province of Santa Fe. Design & Features — Identical frame and denomination layout as Type A, printed with the same typographic plates but signed by a different bank officer, demonstrating branch-level issuance flexibility. ... Read more →

Italy 1871 — Standing Italia Vignette Die Proof (PS976)

Engraved vignette die proof of 'Standing Italia,' later integrated into the 250 Lire specimen of the Banca Italo-Germanica (1871–72, PS976). The allegory, modeled on classical prototypes, depicts Italia standing with shield and spear, emblematic of the country’s newly achieved unification and Rome’s designation as capital in 1871. Pulled directly from the master plate by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., this die proof captures the engraving in its purest state—sharp, uninked margins, and untouched by printing wear. ... Read more →

Italy 1869 — Credito Agricolo di Bologna 30 Lire (Specimen)

Specimen of the 30 Lire issue from the Credito Agricolo di Bologna, produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. during the consolidation years of Italian unification. The denomination itself—30 Lire—is highly unusual and appears linked to agricultural credit schemes and rural cooperative lending. ... Read more →