Collection PL

Italy 1866 — Credito Fondiario di Bologna 50 Lire (Specimen)

Specimen proof of the 50 Lire issue from the Credito Fondiario di Bologna, engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. and dated 1866. Credito Fondiario institutions specialized in long-term, mortgage-backed lending—a key innovation in Italy’s financial system, providing stability and funding for agricultural and urban development at a time when the new Kingdom was still economically fragmented. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1934 — Reserve Bank of New Zealand 10 Shillings Issued Note (Pick 154)

The 10 Shillings banknote issued on 1 August 1934 forms part of the first national paper money series produced for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand after its establishment under the Reserve Bank Act of 1933. The creation of the Reserve Bank replaced the fragmented system of private trading bank notes with a unified national currency, marking a major milestone in the country’s monetary history. This inaugural series is widely known as the "Lefeaux series", named after Leslie Lefeaux, the first Governor of the Reserve Bank whose printed signature appears on the notes. ... Read more →

Poland 1940 — 10 Złotych Printing Remnants Forgery Workshop Underprint (Miłczak 94)

Fascinating semi-finished product from a wartime forgery workshop, connected with the 10 złotych 1940 issue (Miłczak 94). The piece is printed only with the underprint of the obverse design — background guilloches and the female allegorical portrait at left — without the main face value, overprints, or full intaglio elements. Trimmed to the correct banknote format, it represents an intermediate stage in the counterfeiting process. ... Read more →

Poland 1940 — 500 Złotych Series B Unfinished Print Fragment (Pick 98)

Unfinished print fragment of the 500 złotych issue dated 1 March 1940, produced for the Bank Emisyjny w Polsce under German occupation. Cut from a printer’s sheet, this piece is classed as 'makulatura' (waste print) in printing terminology, representing a rare survival of the production process. The obverse carries only two layers of underprint with a double application of series and serial number, but lacks the steel-engraved main design. ... Read more →

United States ca. 1970s – Giori Test Note – Jefferson Center, Black Front / Greenback (Inverted Experimental Serial, With Watermark, PMG 64 EPQ)

Experimental intaglio test note printed around the 1970s by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the Giori multicolor press system. Named for engineer Giovanni Giori, these sheets were used to evaluate multi-plate registration, color density, and press alignment on machinery that would later define modern currency production. The design known as the Jefferson Center joins engraved portraits of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Ulysses 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 →

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 →

1931 — Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Cairo Correspondence Set (Letter, Registered Cover, and Account Statement)

Complete 1931 Deutsche Orientbank A.G. Cairo correspondence set consisting of three original components: a printed bank letterhead with bilingual Arabic–French text, the matching addressed postal cover bearing a King Fuad 5m franking and Cairo postal strikes, and the full Konto–Korrent account statement issued to the same client on the same date. Taken together, these documents preserve the complete administrative chain between the German overseas bank's Cairo branch and one of its Egyptian clients during the interwar period. ... Read more →

Egypt 1923 — Banco di Roma, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original Banco di Roma cheque issued in Cairo on 17 November 1923, printed on cream security paper with a richly engraved Roman header characteristic of interwar Italian banknote and cheque design. At the upper left, within an elaborate vertical cartouche of scrollwork and rosettes, appears the iconic Capitoline Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus. This emblem served as the visual shorthand for Banco di Roma's institutional identity and its projection of Italian national symbolism abroad. ... Read more →

Egypt 1901 — Philibin & Vve. Barrot, Cairo Hardware Merchants (Art Nouveau Letterhead Invoice)

Original 1901 illustrated invoice from Philibin & Vve. Barrot, the prominent Cairo ironmongery and hardware firm founded in 1871. The masthead is printed in a pale blue-grey Art Nouveau style, featuring an ornamental banner with PHILIBIN & Vve. ... Read more →

Argentina 1876 — Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte Specimen (Pick S1880s)

This specimen represents the sole documented control specimen of the Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte issue, printed in 1876 by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company in London for one of Argentina’s provincially chartered banks during the formative period of regional monetary autonomy. It is not part of a surviving series, but a single archival output with no issued, proof, or parallel specimen counterparts known. The Banco de San Juan operated within the interior province of San Juan during a period when Argentina’s banking system was highly decentralized. ... Read more →