Collection — Specimens, Proofs & Issued Banknotes

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

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

Very few banknotes from anywhere in the British Empire incorporated bilingual Chinese text in this way, making the type a highly significant survivor in both Australian and global numismatics. The note documents not only colonial banking and printing practice, but also the commercial integration of Chinese Australians into the economic life of 19th-century Victoria and one of the earliest documented examples of deliberate market localization expressed directly through a banknote. 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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New Zealand 1907–1926 Bank of New Zealand £20 Blue audit-range serial-prefix specimen with dual control numbers, Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., PMG 55 AU, Pop 1/1, R9 Extremely Rare

New Zealand 1907–1926 - Bank of New Zealand £20 Blue Serial-Prefix Audit Specimen (Pick S194s)

The PMG 55 About Uncirculated grade is exceptionally high for a large-format, soft-paper audit specimen. With Pop 1/1 status and no evidence of any additional audit-range examples in institutional or private holdings, this piece stands as the definitive reference for the BNZ £20 issue and a cornerstone artifact of New Zealand’s pre–Reserve Bank monetary history. Read more →

New ZealandSpecimen190720 PoundsPMG 55 About Uncirculated (Pop 1/1) Specimen20 PoundsBlueBNZ Color LineageHigh Denomination Color TierHigh DenominationAudit-Range SpecimenSerial PrefixDual Serial NumbersPerforated SpecimenBradbury WilkinsonBWCPick S194sBank of New ZealandPrivate Banknote EraPre-Reserve BankNew Zealand Banking HistoryBritish Engraved NotesMāori Portrait VignettesSecurity Printing HistoryHigh-Value NotesAudit Control SheetNew Zealand190719261907–1926PMG 58Pop 1Top PopMuseum GradeR9 Extremely RareUnique

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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 engraving is a characteristic example of Bradbury Wilkinson’s late Victorian security printing: a bold central title cartouche, finely balanced allegorical figures symbolizing commerce and navigation, and dense lathe-work designed to defeat contemporary counterfeiting. These elements were not decorative excess, but functional security features exported from London to colonial issuers seeking credibility and trust in rapidly expanding financial markets. 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)

In the completed 20 Pounds specimen, the portrait is incorporated into the left-side ornamental panel and surrounded by denomination counters, bank title, serial fields, security patterns and border work. The surviving proof therefore documents the portrait at the component stage, while the specimen records its final use within the finished banknote composition. 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)

This note stands as a museum grade witness to the institutional intent behind colonial paper money, representing not circulation currency but the conceptual and administrative foundation upon which it was built. 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)

The Melbourne imprint anchors the note to the colonial financial center of Victoria during a period of rapid economic development. Notes of this denomination were used for large commercial settlements and institutional transactions, making the Ten Pounds value the highest tier of everyday banking paper in the colonial economy. 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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Poland 1994 50 Złotych front proof, Pick 175ap1, PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated, final approved obverse design by Thomas De La Rue

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Front Proof (Pick 175ap1)

As a front proof, the sheet carries no reverse impression and no serials, confirming its role as an approval and archival reference rather than a circulation or presentation item. Such proofs were produced in extremely small numbers and retained within De La Rue’s internal archives as part of the printer–central bank approval workflow. Read more →

PolandFront Proof199450 ZłotychPMG 63 Choice Uncirculated (Front Proof, Top Pop 1/1) Front ProofPick 175ap1Thomas De La RueTDLRNarodowy Bank PolskiKazimierz WielkiCasimir the GreatModern Polish BanknotesRedenomination SeriesPoland1994PMG 63Top PopR9 Extremely RareUniqueMuseum Grade

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Poland 1994 50 Złotych remainder without serial numbers, Pick 175ar, PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ, unnumbered production-stage banknote

Poland 1994 - 50 Zlotych Remainder (Pick 175ar Miłczak 198a–b)

This example documents a surviving production-stage form of the 1994 50 zlotych issue and provides a direct reference for the Thomas De La Rue printing sequence behind the final circulation note. Read more →

PolandRemainder199450 ZłotychPMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ Remainder50 ZlotychUnnumbered BanknoteWithout Serial NumbersThomas De La RueTDLRNarodowy Bank PolskiKazimierz WielkiCasimir the GreatModern Polish BanknotesRedenomination SeriesProduction StagePoland1994PMG 66Pick 175arMilczak 198R8 Extremely RareMuseum 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)

As the only confirmed specimen of this design and now graded at the highest possible level (PMG 66 EPQ Pop 1), this note serves as the definitive reference for the Mercantile Bank of Sydney’s unlisted £1 issue. Its rarity is absolute: a single recorded survivor, establishing an R9 classification under documented-population criteria. It stands among the most important early Australian private-bank specimens preserved in private hands. 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)

This note is a true specimen, not intended for circulation, and was produced as part of Bradbury, Wilkinson’s export engraving program for colonial banks. The design reflects late Victorian security printing conventions: a balanced bilateral layout with allegorical female vignettes, dense blue underprinting, and wide margins characteristic of British-engraved export notes. At left, a young woman holding a lamb symbolizes prosperity and trust; at right, a classical female figure represents authority and stability. Together these figures formed a visual reassurance to depositors and merchants in Sydney and other colonial financial centers. 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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Poland 1926 10 Złotych remainder Pick 65br with Bolesław Chrobry 992–1025 portrait watermark, PMG 40 Extremely Fine

Poland 1926 - 10 Zlotych Remainder Bolesław Chrobry 992–1025 Watermark (Pick 65br)

Remainder material of this kind was therefore routinely scheduled for destruction shortly after printing ceased, in order to prevent uncontrolled use. Survival was incidental rather than deliberate and resulted only from isolated departures from standard disposal procedures. Read more →

PolandRemainder192610 złotychPMG 40 Extremely Fine RemainderBank Polski10 ZlotychPortrait WatermarkBoleslaw Chrobry992–10251926 Banknote IssueSecond Polish RepublicState SymbolismWatermark HistoryPoland1926Museum GradeR9 Extremely RareUniquePick 65brMilczak 64PMG 40

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