Collection PL

Honduras 1873 — 5 Pesos Treasury Note (Billete de Tesoreria, Comayagua, Unlisted Issue)

Original 5 Pesos Billete de Tesoreria issued by the Republic of Honduras at Comayagua and dated April 20, 1873. The printed text makes it payable to bearer against the national Treasury under the decree of March 18 of the same year, a stop-gap fiscal instrument used in place of scarce coin. Handwritten signatures and multiple official seals are present. ... Read more →

Paraguay 1856 — 2 Reales Tesoro Nacional (Earliest National Paper Money)

Earliest known national paper money of Paraguay — the 2 Reales Tesoro Nacional note issued circa 1856 under President Carlos Antonio Lopez. Printed locally in Asuncion on thin handmade paper, this inaugural emission predates all Pick-listed Paraguayan notes and represents the first attempt by the Treasury to create circulating paper currency. Design elements include the national seal with the lion and liberty cap, ornate perimeter borders, and large denomination numerals at each side. ... Read more →

Australia 1929, Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, Letter Form Photographic Proof (Mounted on Cardstock, PCGS 50)

Photographic proof of an official Letter Form prepared for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Produced in London in 1929, this proof records the full masthead Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited placed above a wide open writing field framed by ornamental guilloche and a large central rosette used to stabilize the printed background. The proof was created through photographic reproduction, not through engraved plate printing. ... Read more →

Australia 1929, Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, Credit Form Photographic Proof (Mounted on Cardstock, PCGS 64)

Photographic proof of a Credit Form created for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Produced in London in 1929, the design shows the full title Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited supported by a portrait medallion at left and framed text panels used for financial authorization and remittance details. The photographic process was used to capture the approved layout before engraving. ... Read more →

1875 — 5 Shillings Victoria Consular Revenue Tied Diplomatic Document (British Consulate, Alexandria)

High-value British consular certificate issued at Her Britannic Majesty’s Consulate in Alexandria on 9 September 1875, bearing the scarce 5 Shillings Queen Victoria Consular Service revenue stamp. The document certifies a civil status event and is fully executed with period manuscript, the embossed consular arms, and the oval BRITISH CONSULATE ALEXANDRIA datestamp tying the fiscal adhesive to the sheet. The large-format 5/– Consular Service adhesive was reserved for significant legal acts such as notarisation, registration, attestations, and inheritance or identity confirmations. ... Read more →

Egypt 1930 — Greece Ministry of Foreign Affairs Handwritten Arabic Consular Testimonial (Cairo Consulate)

Original handwritten Arabic testimonial issued by the Consulate of the Kingdom of Greece in Cairo in 1930, executed entirely in period Arabic manuscript—an exceptionally rare linguistic and administrative crossover. European consulates in Egypt almost never issued documents in Arabic; Greek consular paperwork of this era was typically prepared in Greek or French, making this Arabic-language issuance a near-unique example of cross-cultural legal administration. The document carries a full, sharply struck royal Greek consular seal in red, displaying the crowned cross-and-shield emblem of the Kingdom of Greece surrounded by the bilingual Greek–French inscription identifying the Cairo consulate. ... Read more →

Egypt 1914–1915 — Egyptian Red Crescent Society (Khedivial Era Membership Receipts, Two-Document Set)

Pair of original Egyptian Red Crescent Society membership receipts from 1914 and 1915, both issued on cream wove paper and printed with the early Khedivial-era layout. Each sheet carries the large red Crescent emblem at top center, rendered in thick oil-based ink with slight unevenness at the edges typical of hand-inked early Red Crescent forms. Beneath the emblem appears the full institutional title in classical Arabic script, followed by the patronage line noting the protection of the Khedivial household and the presidency of His Highness Prince Mohamed Ali. ... Read more →

Egypt 1907 — First Issue Revenues 1 & 2 Milliemes Tied on Official Document

Official Egyptian internal-security and licensing document dated 1907, printed on pale beige government stock with a pre-ruled bilingual Arabic–French layout. The sheet contains early Khedivial administrative headings at top right (وزارة الداخلية – قسم الضبط) and preprinted lines for applicant name, profession, address, and licensing purpose. All fields are completed in dark brown dip-pen ink with flowing early 20th-century handwriting. ... Read more →

Egypt 1931 — Singer Sewing Machine Co. Booklet with Tied Singer Revenues

Original 1931 Singer Sewing Machine Company service and instalment booklet issued in Cairo, printed on tan card stock with the standard Singer Manufacturing Company masthead, including the New York parent company reference at top. The front cover shows the booklet form number 'Form. 60/c. ... Read more →

Egypt 1911 — The Odeon Hall, Cairo Gold Watch Repair Invoice

Early 1911 invoice from The Odeon Hall in Cairo, one of the city’s most modern pre-war establishments combining gramophone sales, watchmaking, and luxury retail. Issued for the repair of a gold watch, the bilingual French–Arabic letterhead advertises phonographs, records, and precision horological services, reflecting Egypt’s rapid adoption of European technology and leisure culture. The page displays a refined pre-war commercial aesthetic: scrolling decorative borders, clear French titles with Arabic equivalents, and balanced typesetting characteristic of early Cairo printing houses. ... Read more →

Russia 1920 — Armed Forces of South Russia 100,000 Rubles Treasury Bill (November Issue, Pick S431c)

Six-percent short-term Treasury bill for 100,000 rubles issued by the Government Treasury of the Armed Forces of South Russia during the final phase of the Russian Civil War. This is the November 15, 1920 payable issue (Pick S431c), printed after General Pyotr Wrangel transferred the White administration to Crimea. The note follows the classical Imperial layout: bilingual Russian–French legends, the double-headed eagle in an ornate oval cartouche at left, and a formal typographic bond structure intended to signal continuity with pre-1917 state finance. ... Read more →

Egypt 1912 — Allen, Alderson & Co. Machinery Agents, Alexandria (Illustrated Letterhead)

Spectacular illustrated industrial letterhead from Allen, Alderson & Co., Alexandria, dated 18 January 1912. The firm served as engineering agents and importers for major British manufacturers such as Ruston, Proctor & Co., supplying steam engines, boilers, pumps, and milling equipment to Egypt’s rapidly modernising industrial and agricultural sectors. The sheet features a refined bilingual English–Arabic masthead identifying the company as agents, importers, and engineers active throughout the Delta and Upper Egypt. ... Read more →