Collection PL

Lower Canada 1837 — Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad — 15 Sous, Quarter Dollar, Half Dollar (Full Uncut Dual Series Sheet)

Issued on August 1, 1837, by the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad in Lower Canada, this uncut sheet represents one of the earliest surviving forms of transportation-issued currency in British North America. The Champlain and St. ... Read more →

Spain 1875 — Banco de España 50 Pesetas Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick 7x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Banco de España fifty pesetas issue of 1875, produced during the active circulation period of the official banknote and intended to pass as legal tender in everyday commerce. Classified in standard references as Pick 7x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials and printing methods consistent with nineteenth-century Spanish monetary circulation. Contemporary counterfeits occupy a distinct and historically important category within paper money studies. ... Read more →

Spain 1876 — Banco de España 100 Pesetas Contemporary Counterfeit (Pick 11x)

This note represents a contemporary counterfeit of the Banco de España one hundred pesetas issue of 1876, produced during the active circulation period of the official banknote and intended to pass as legal tender in everyday commerce. Classified in standard references as Pick 11x, it is a period forgery rather than a later reproduction or fantasy piece, created using materials and printing methods consistent with late nineteenth-century Spanish monetary circulation. Contemporary counterfeits form a distinct and historically significant category within paper money studies. ... Read more →

South Africa 1828 — Cape of Good Hope Bank Five Shillings Pre-Issue Sample (Pick S171p)

This note represents a pre-issue sample of the Cape of Good Hope Bank five shillings denomination, produced in the late 1820s during the formative period of private banking in the Cape Colony, well before the bank was formally authorized to commence operations. It predates all circulating issues of the institution and belongs to the earliest documentary layer of South African private-bank paper money. The Cape of Good Hope Bank occupies a unique position in South African monetary history. ... Read more →

South Africa 1861 — Montagu Bank Five Pounds Remainder (Pick S231r)

This note is an unissued remainder of the Montagu Bank five pounds denomination, produced in the early 1860s during the brief operational life of one of the Cape Colony’s most distinctive private commercial banks. As the highest denomination authorized by the Montagu Bank, the five pounds issue occupied the uppermost tier of the institution’s monetary structure and was intended for large commercial settlements, capital transactions, and internal accounting rather than routine daily exchange. The Montagu Bank was established in 1861 at a time when local banking was widely regarded as essential to trade and economic development within the Cape Colony. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Perforated Cancel, Series A–B (Pick 41as)

This specimen note represents a distinct institutional handling variant of the one thousand pesos denomination of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939, during the mature phase of state-directed banking and currency policy in Uruguay. As the highest denomination issued within the national paper money system at the time, the 1000 pesos was reserved exclusively for interbank settlement, treasury accounting, and large-scale financial operations, and was never intended for routine public circulation. By the late 1930s, the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay functioned as the central pillar of the country’s monetary framework, combining commercial banking activity with responsibility for currency issuance, financial regulation, and monetary stability. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie D, Specimen No. 23 (Pick 41cs)

This specimen note represents the one thousand pesos denomination of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939, a period that marks the mature phase of state-directed banking and currency policy in Uruguay. Produced as an official non-circulating specimen, this note was created for institutional reference, printer archives, and controlled distribution among central banking authorities, government departments, and international financial correspondents, rather than for public monetary use. The Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay, established in 1896, had by the late 1930s consolidated its role as the principal state banking institution, combining commercial operations with responsibility for currency issuance, monetary stabilization, and credit regulation. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 1000 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie C, Specimen No. 2 (Pick 41bs)

This specimen note represents the one thousand pesos denomination of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939, a period that marks the mature phase of state-directed banking and currency policy in Uruguay. Produced as an official non-circulating specimen, this note was created for institutional reference, printer archives, and controlled distribution among central banking authorities, government departments, and international financial correspondents, rather than for public monetary use. The Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay, established in 1896, had by the late 1930s consolidated its role as the principal state banking institution, combining commercial operations with responsibility for currency issuance, monetary stabilization, and credit regulation. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay Pesos Specimen, De La Rue Cancel Stamp, Serie A, Specimen No. 50 (Pick 41as)

This specimen note represents a further distinct institutional handling variant of the one thousand pesos denomination of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939. As the highest denomination issued within Uruguay’s paper currency system at the time, the 1000 pesos was reserved exclusively for interbank settlement, treasury accounting, and high-level financial administration, and was never intended for routine public circulation. By the late 1930s, the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay had consolidated its position as the central state banking institution, responsible not only for commercial banking functions but also for currency issuance, monetary regulation, and financial stability. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 500 Pesos Specimen, Perforated Cancel, Serie A (Pick 40as)

This specimen note represents a distinct institutional handling variant of the five hundred pesos denomination of the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939. Produced as a non-circulating specimen, this note was intended for institutional reference, archival documentation, and internal control rather than for public monetary use. By the late 1930s, the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay served as the central pillar of the national monetary system, combining commercial banking operations with responsibility for currency issuance, financial regulation, and monetary stability. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1939 — Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 500 Pesos Specimen, Printed Cancel, Serie A, Specimen No. 29 (Pick 40as)

This specimen note represents the five hundred pesos denomination of the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay issued under the monetary law of 2 January 1939, during a period of fully consolidated state-directed banking and currency policy in Uruguay. Produced as an official non-circulating specimen, this note was intended for institutional reference, printer archives, and controlled distribution among government departments, central banking authorities, and international financial correspondents rather than for public monetary use. By the late 1930s, the Banco de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay functioned as the core institution of the national monetary system, combining commercial banking activity with responsibility for currency issuance, financial regulation, and monetary stability. ... Read more →

United States 1854 — Empire City Bank 100 Dollars Proof (Pick NY1585G16P)

This note represents a proof of the one hundred dollars denomination prepared for the Empire City Bank of New York during the final year of the institution’s operation. It was produced as part of the internal design approval and engraving review process and was never intended for public circulation. As such, it belongs to the documentary layer of American private banknote production rather than to issued or remainder currency. ... Read more →