Collection PL

Mauritius 1839 — Mauritius Commercial Bank 20 Dollars / 4 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled Note (Pick S125)

One of the earliest surviving issued notes of the Mauritius Commercial Bank—the oldest banking institution in the Indian Ocean—this 1839 Twenty Dollar / Four Pounds Sterling note is a foundational artifact of Mauritian monetary history. Issued only one year after the bank’s founding in 1838, it belongs to the first generation of fully functional colonial paper money used on the island. These early issues circulated at a time when coin shortages were severe, and private banknotes became the primary medium of exchange for merchants, plantation owners, and shipping houses. ... Read more →

East Caribbean States 2019 — Central Bank 20 Dollars (Pick Unlisted, later catalogued as Pick 57)

Issued 20 Dollars polymer note from the East Caribbean Central Bank, dated 2019 and printed by De La Rue. When first released, this note was unlisted in the SCWPM but later catalogued as Pick 57. It belongs to the ECCB’s first full polymer issue, designed to withstand the tropical environment of the Eastern Caribbean. ... Read more →

East Caribbean States 2019 — Central Bank 20 Dollars (Pick 57)

Issued polymer 20 Dollars from the East Caribbean Central Bank, dated 2019 and catalogued as Pick 57. This denomination forms part of the ECCB’s new polymer banknote family introduced in 2019 to replace paper issues across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. The front carries Queen Elizabeth II’s effigy, the ECCB headquarters, and advanced polymer security windows integrated vertically within the design. ... Read more →

Canada 1896 — Bank of Nova Scotia 20 Dollars Front and Back Proofs (Pick Unlisted)

Matched front and back proof pair of the 20 Dollars banknote issued by The Bank of Nova Scotia of Halifax, Nova Scotia, dated 22 July 1896. Engraved and printed by the American Bank Note Company of New York, the pair documents the approval stage of one of the most elaborate chartered banknote designs produced in Canada during the late nineteenth century. The front proof is printed in black and white, the standard format used for die and plate approval. ... Read more →

United States 1872 – State of South Carolina $20 Revenue Bond Scrip (Act of March 2, 1872, Columbia Issue, PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated)

The $20 Revenue Bond Scrip of the State of South Carolina, dated March 2, 1872, represents one of the most ornate and historically revealing fiscal issues of the Reconstruction era. Authorized by the Act of March 2, 1872, these notes were used by the state government to pay outstanding obligations and to serve as tax receipts during a period of severe post–Civil War financial strain. Printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York, the scrip combined fine engraving, symbolic imagery, and the technical artistry characteristic of the firm’s early 1870s production. ... Read more →

United States 1902 – 20 Dollars National Bank Note – The First National Bank of Taylorville, Illinois (Charter 3579, Large Size Plain Back, Raw Very Good)

Large-size 1902 Plain Back twenty from The First National Bank of Taylorville, Illinois, Charter 3579, a seldom-seen issuer that entered receivership on October 18, 1929 at the very start of the small-size era. Organized and chartered in October 1886, the bank operated for more than four decades, but its total national-currency output was modest for an Illinois institution and survivorship today is extremely thin. Face design shows Treasury Secretary Hugh McCulloch at left, blue charter numerals 3579, and the classic U.S. ... Read more →

United States 1993 — 20 Dollars Federal Reserve Note, New York District (Friedberg 2079-B) Insufficient Inking Error, PMG 67 EPQ Superb Gem Uncirculated

This 1993 20 Dollars Federal Reserve Note from the New York District (Friedberg 2079-B, BD Block) is a superbly preserved example of an Insufficient Inking Error that drastically weakens the reverse printing. The normally dark green depiction of the White House appears faint and washed out, with many architectural and background details missing. Only fragments of the design—such as the central columns, the inscription 'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA', and the denomination numerals—remain clearly visible. ... Read more →

United States 1993 — 20 Dollars Federal Reserve Note, Chicago District (Friedberg 2080-G) Printed Tear Errors, PMG 64 EPQ Choice Uncirculated

This 1993 20 Dollars Federal Reserve Note from the Chicago District (Friedberg 2080-G, GA Block) represents one of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s most visually dynamic mechanical failures—a genuine Printed Tear Error, preserved in fully original condition. The note exhibits two sharply folded and partially torn corners that became creased before entering the final printing pass. When the sheet was fed into the intaglio press, the torn and folded segments prevented ink from transferring to those areas, leaving distinctive blank voids and offset impressions once unfolded. ... Read more →

United States 1929 Type 1 - 20 Dollars National Bank Note - The First National Bank of Youngstown, Ohio (Fr. 1802-1, Charter 3, Legacy Currency Grading Fine 15)

Low-charter national. The First National Bank of Youngstown operated under Charter 3, a single-digit charter number issued in the opening days of the National Banking era. Early charters are coveted because they document the very first adopters of the 1863 National Banking system and their numbers stayed with the bank through every redesign and consolidation. ... Read more →

Australia 1965 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited $20 Travellers Cheque Rejected Design Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Rejected design proof for the proposed 20 Dollars traveller’s cheque printed and engraved by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Submitted in 1965 and annotated “Not Approved,” it represents a parallel concept in the three-denomination traveller’s cheque proposal of that year. The composition features elegant guilloche borders in blue-green and lavender hues, overprinted with a large central watermark-style globe bearing the bank’s initials C.B.C. ... Read more →

United States 1928 — 20 Dollars Gold Certificate (Friedberg 2402, AA Block), PMG 50 EPQ About Uncirculated

The Series 1928 20 Dollars Gold Certificate, cataloged as Friedberg 2402, represents the inaugural small-size issue of the denomination and one of the final circulating forms of gold-backed United States paper money. Bearing the signatures of Woods and Mellon, this example from the AA block carries the distinctive orange-gold Treasury seal and matching serial numbers that define Gold Certificate issues of the era. Gold Certificates were obligations payable in gold coin to the bearer on demand, a clause prominently displayed on the face of the note. ... Read more →

United States 1922 — 20 Dollars Gold Certificate (Friedberg 1187), PMG 20 Very Fine

The Series 1922 20 Dollars Gold Certificate, cataloged as Friedberg 1187, represents one of the final large-size gold-backed issues prior to the transition to standardized small-size currency in 1928. Bearing the signatures of Treasurer Frank White and Register of the Treasury Frank Speelman, this issue embodies the mature phase of large-format United States Gold Certificates during the final decade of the classical gold standard era. Gold Certificates were direct obligations of the United States Treasury, payable in gold coin to the bearer on demand. ... Read more →