Collection PL

Australia 1877 — Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company Portrait of Woman Intaglio Vignette Proof (Printer’s Library Master)

This intaglio vignette proof represents an original portrait engraving produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company in London in 1877, prepared as a master design element within the firm’s internal plate library. It depicts a classical female figure engraved as a stand-alone vignette, intended for later integration into complete banknote layouts commissioned by private banks across the British Empire, including Australian colonial institutions. In the Bradbury Wilkinson production workflow of the late nineteenth century, portrait vignettes were engraved independently of any specific banknote. ... Read more →

Barbados 1959 — Government of Barbados Treasury Bill, Photographic Proof (Early Design Stage)

This photographic proof records an early design form of a Government of Barbados Treasury Bill prepared under the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922. The proof differs materially in wording, layout, and structure from later issued and specimen Treasury Bills, and represents an earlier design stage within the Barbados treasury bill system. The front displays the full issuer heading “Government of Barbados Treasury Bill” and a legal obligation clause stating payment “to bearer out of the General Revenue and Assets of Barbados.” This formulation is not identical to the wording used on later Treasury Bills and bearer instruments, where the obligation language is more compact and standardized. ... Read more →