Collection PL

Uruguay 1872 - P. Valdez & Co., Tacuarembo 10 Centesimos Unissued (Pick Unlisted)

Unissued 10 Centesimos note dated 1 July 1872 from P. Valdez & Co. of Tacuarembo (then San Fructuoso), printed by Lit. F. Bauer, Rincon 72, Montevideo. Pablo Valdez was a leading figure of 19th-century Tacuarembo: a stage-coach operator connecting San Fructuoso with Paso de los Toros, the town’s first agent of livestock brands and marks, and founder of the large soap works Jaboneria de Pablo Valdez near Arroyo Tranqueras. His firm issued these small bearer chits to replace missing fractional coinage during the post-conflict period following the Revolution of the Lances (1870-1872). Read more →

Uruguay 1872 - P. Valdez & Co., Tacuarembo 20 Centesimos Unissued (Pick Unlisted)

Considerably scarcer than the 10 Centesimos, this 20 Centesimos note represents one of the few surviving examples of private merchant scrip from Uruguay’s frontier economy. Together, the two Valdez denominations illustrate how local initiative substituted trust and commerce for absent national coinage in 1870s Uruguay. Read more →

United States 1863 - Bank of the State of South Carolina 10c and 15c Uncut Sheet of 3

Uncut vertical sheet of three fractional notes from the Bank of the State of South Carolina in Charleston, dated February 1, 1863. The pane contains one 10 cents and two 15 cents notes. These pieces were issued during the Civil War coin shortage under the Act of February 1863 and were payable to bearer in current funds rather than in coin. Read more →

Uruguay 1870 - Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1 Peso, Junta de Credito Publico (Signed Ruy / West, Serial 017385)

This specimen bears the signature of Ruy and West, members of the Junta, written boldly in black ink below the legend 'Por la Junta de Credito Publico'. Each member signed a limited number of notes personally, leading to numerous autograph varieties. The distinctive scalloped left edge was a deliberate anti-counterfeiting feature, making trimming or splicing impossible. Notes were backed by customs-revenue proceeds, securing Uruguay’s transition from regional banknotes to a unified national paper issue. Read more →

Uruguay 1870 - Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1 Peso, Junta de Credito Publico (Illegible Signature Variant, Serial 710157)

Dated 4 de Mayo de 1870, this 1 Peso note represents the same first national issue of the Junta de Credito Publico but bearing a different handwritten signature type, executed by another board member whose autograph remains partially illegible due to cancellation and ink staining. The printing is identical to the 'Ruy / West' variety, featuring Mercury seated left, Uruguay’s arms top center, and the text 'Ley de 4 de Mayo de 1870'. The green paper stock and scalloped margin are characteristic of local lithography by G. Mas & Cía. Read more →

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Issued Note Serial A029393 (Pick A88a)

The reverse consists of a dense green guilloche security field enclosing denomination panels, engraved with the precision and symmetry characteristic of Waterlow & Sons production of the 1880s. The fibrous matte paper stock and balanced ink saturation remain consistent with first-phase deliveries of the 1887 issue. Read more →

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Issued Note Serial A053441 (Pick A88a)

The reverse displays a dense green guilloche security field with structured denomination panels, characteristic of Waterlow and Sons printing methodology of the 1880s. Paper texture and engraving depth correspond to mature deliveries within the original hand-signed production cycle. Read more →

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Issued Note Serial K078922 (Pick A88c)

As a mechanically signed emission, this example documents the administrative refinement of Banco Nacional note production during a period of increasing circulation demand. It stands as evidence of evolving security and efficiency practices within Uruguay's late nineteenth century engraved currency system. Read more →

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Paysando Branch Overprint Serial J016899 (Pick A88c)

The Banco Nacional operated a centralized emission system with subsequent provincial distribution through regional branches. Branch overprints functioned as administrative control markings identifying notes allocated to specific provincial offices for circulation and accounting. The overprint on this example reads PAYSANDO, reflecting the contemporary nineteenth century spelling of the city today known as Paysandu. Read more →

Uruguay 1887 - Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos CANELONES Branch Overprint Serial H092503 (Pick A88c)

Serial H092503 belongs to the H-prefix distribution of the mechanically signed production phase. The uniformity of signature placement and stroke confirms mechanical reproduction rather than hand application. The overprint was applied locally using manual press methods, resulting in minor variations in ink density and impression pressure characteristic of provincial branch markings. Read more →

Uruguay 1870 - Republica Oriental del Uruguay 50 Centesimos, Junta de Credito Publico (“Cow Head”) Serial 274594 (Pick A109b)

Issued by the Junta de Credito Publico under the Ley de 4 de Mayo de 1870, this 50 Centesimos note represents one of Uruguay’s earliest government-backed paper currencies. Locally printed in Montevideo by Litografía G. Mas & Cía., the design belongs to the same inaugural emission as the 1 Peso 'Mercury' note. Known to collectors as the 'Cow Head' type, its left vignette features a finely detailed depiction of Uruguay’s cattle, symbolizing the nation’s livestock wealth and agrarian economy. Read more →

New South Wales 1865 - Embossed 'ONE HALF PERCENT' Stamp Duty Fiscal Proof Specimen

Because these proofs were working approval materials rather than issued fiscal documents, most examples were destroyed after printing commenced. Surviving sheets that retain the printer’s blue framing guides and 'Specimen' designation provide rare documentation of the early stages of colonial security printing. As such, this piece represents a direct witness to the administrative and technical foundations of fiscal printing in nineteenth-century Australia. Read more →