Collection PL

Macau 1937 — Foo Hang Bank 10 Patacas Archival Printer Proof Compound Sheet (Pick S105)

An archival printer proof compound sheet prepared for the Foo Hang Bank of Macau in 1937 for the 10 patacas denomination associated with Pick S105. This pre-issue proof material survives as a single intact sheet and represents internal security-printing output created for reference, approval, and archival control rather than public circulation. Foo Hang Bank operated in Macau during a period when the territory functioned as a distinct monetary and commercial enclave within southern China. ... Read more →

China 1945 — Soviet Red Army Headquarters 100 Yuan Issued Note, Revalidated 1946 (Pick M36)

An issued 100 yuan banknote produced in 1945 under the authority of the Soviet Red Army Headquarters during the closing phase of the Second World War, later officially revalidated in 1946. Catalogued as Pick M36, this note forms part of the provisional monetary system established by Soviet military administration in northeastern China following the collapse of Japanese control in Manchuria. Currency issued by the Soviet Red Army Headquarters functioned within a command-level financial structure designed to support military logistics, civilian transactions, and administrative continuity in occupied territory. ... Read more →

New Caledonia 1871 — French Treasury Second of Exchange for 2,000 Francs (Service des Colonies)

A colonial treasury bill of exchange issued in 1871 under the authority of the French public treasury for the colony of New Caledonia. This document represents the second of exchange (*seconde*), forming part of a standard multi-part financial instrument employed by the French administration to execute high-value intercontinental payments within the colonial fiscal system. The bill was drawn by the *Caissier Payeur central du Trésor public (Service des Colonies)* and made payable to order in New Caledonia for the sum of two thousand francs. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 — Narodowy Bank Polski Specimen Set, WZÓR Number 010, Complete Five-Denomination Series,

A complete five-denomination WZÓR specimen set from the 1994 Polish banknote series, issued by Narodowy Bank Polski during the introduction of the post-denomination monetary reform. The set comprises all denominations of the series — 10 złotych, 20 złotych, 50 złotych, 100 złotych, and 200 złotych — preserved together with the same official WZÓR specimen number 010. The WZÓR designation identifies non-circulating specimen banknotes prepared for approval, demonstration, and institutional reference during the rollout of the new złoty. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 — 10 Zlotych, Narodowy Bank Polski WZÓR Specimen Number 010 (Pick 173s)

A WZÓR specimen banknote of the 10 złotych denomination from the 1994 Polish banknote series, issued by the Narodowy Bank Polski as part of the post-denomination monetary reform. This specimen represents the lowest denomination of the new złoty series introduced to re-establish numerical continuity and monetary clarity following the redenomination of Polish currency. The WZÓR designation identifies a non-circulating specimen prepared for approval, institutional reference, and controlled distribution during the implementation of the new series. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 — 20 Zlotych, Narodowy Bank Polski WZÓR Specimen Number 010 (Pick 174s)

A WZÓR specimen of the 20 złotych denomination from the 1994 Polish banknote series, issued by the Narodowy Bank Polski during the introduction of the post-denomination monetary reform. This specimen represents the second denomination of the new złoty series, positioned between the introductory 10 złotych note and the higher-value denominations that complete the system. The WZÓR designation identifies a non-circulating specimen prepared for approval, institutional reference, and controlled distribution during the rollout of the new series. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 — 50 Zlotych, Narodowy Bank Polski WZÓR Specimen Number 010 (Pick 175s)

A WZÓR specimen of the 50 złotych denomination from the 1994 Polish banknote series, issued by the Narodowy Bank Polski during the introduction of the post-denomination monetary reform. Positioned at the core of the denomination structure, the 50 złotych note represents the central transactional unit of the new złoty system. The WZÓR designation identifies a non-circulating specimen prepared for approval, institutional reference, and controlled distribution during the rollout of the series. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 — 100 Zlotych, Narodowy Bank Polski WZÓR Specimen Number 010 (Pick 176s)

A WZÓR specimen of the 100 złotych denomination from the 1994 Polish banknote series, issued by the Narodowy Bank Polski during the introduction of the post-denomination monetary reform. As the principal high-value circulation note of the new złoty system, the 100 złotych denomination occupied a central role in everyday monetary use following the reform. The WZÓR designation identifies a non-circulating specimen prepared for approval, institutional reference, and controlled distribution during the rollout of the series. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 — 200 Zlotych, Narodowy Bank Polski WZÓR Specimen Number 010 (Pick 177s)

A WZÓR specimen of the 200 złotych denomination from the 1994 Polish banknote series, issued by the Narodowy Bank Polski during the introduction of the post-denomination monetary reform. As the highest denomination of the initial 1994 series, the 200 złotych note functioned as the flagship issue representing the full design, security, and symbolic ambition of the reform. The WZÓR designation identifies a non-circulating specimen prepared for approval, institutional reference, and controlled distribution during the rollout of the series. ... Read more →

Austria 1800 — Wiener Stadt Banco 5 Gulden Issued Note (Pick A33)

The 5 Gulden note of 1800, issued by the Wiener Stadt Banco, occupies a pivotal position within Austria’s early fiduciary paper money system known as Banco-Zettel. Introduced in 1796, this system marked the Habsburg Monarchy’s first sustained attempt to replace metallic circulation with state-backed paper currency, driven by the severe fiscal pressures of continuous warfare and structural budget deficits at the end of the eighteenth century. Within the denomination hierarchy, 5 Gulden functioned as a true intermediary value. ... Read more →

Martinique 1870 — Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Unissued Cheque (Pick P.5A)

An unissued cheque for one franc prepared for the Banque de la Martinique and intended for use at Saint-Pierre, dating from the early period of organized colonial banking on the island. Classified as Pick P.5A, this form represents a non-circulating banking instrument rather than a circulating banknote, designed for internal settlement, account debiting, and controlled monetary transfers within the colonial financial system. The Banque de la Martinique was established as part of France’s overseas banking framework, created to stabilize currency supply and facilitate commercial credit in the Caribbean colonies. ... Read more →

Martinique 1870 — Banque de la Martinique 1 Franc Cheque Recovered After the 1902 Mount Pelée Eruption (Pick P.5A)

A Banque de la Martinique one franc cheque form, Pick P.5A, originally printed for use at Saint-Pierre during the late nineteenth century and later recovered from the ruins of the city following the catastrophic eruption of Mount Pelée on 8 May 1902. Although printed decades earlier as part of the bank’s standardized cheque issue, this surviving example was never negotiated as a financial instrument and instead entered history as a disaster-recovery relic, explicitly identified as such by contemporary handwritten annotations. The printed face follows the established Banque de la Martinique cheque format, bearing the heading “Chèque sur la Banque de la Martinique,” internal control marking “B.P.F. ... Read more →