Collection PL

North Macedonia 1996 — 500 Denari Specimen (Pick 17s) Golden Death Mask GA0000000 No. 006

This official De La Rue printer specimen records the finalized design of the 500 Denari denomination from the Republic of Macedonia’s inaugural post-independence banknote series issued in 1996. Prepared for internal verification and institutional reference, the specimen preserves the complete production artwork while being permanently invalidated for monetary use. The note displays the full set of Thomas De La Rue & Company specimen control devices. ... Read more →

North Macedonia 1996 - 500 Denari (Issued, Pick 17a) GB2531560 Golden Death Mask

The 500 Denari banknote issued in 1996 forms part of the first modern currency series of the Republic of Macedonia following independence in 1991. Introduced by the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia as part of the country’s early monetary stabilization program, the series established the visual identity and security standards of the newly independent state’s paper currency. Production was entrusted to Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited in London, whose security printing expertise shaped both the artistic and technical structure of the notes. ... Read more →

North Macedonia 2003 - 500 Denari (Issued, Pick 21a) DA8148021 Golden Death Mask

The 500 Denari banknote dated January 2003 represents a continuation printing of the denomination within the banknote program of the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia. While maintaining the established design introduced in the 1996 series, the 2003 issue reflects a later production batch prepared by Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited in London, preserving the same national imagery while refining color balance and background guilloche structures. At the center of the design remains the Golden Mask motif derived from the funerary mask discovered at the archaeological site of Trebeništa near Ohrid, dating to the 6th century BCE. ... Read more →

New South Wales 1865 — Embossed 'ONE HALF PERCENT' Stamp Duty Fiscal Proof Specimen

This archival embossed proof was prepared for the Treasury of the Colony of New South Wales in 1865 as part of the design approval process for official stamp duty revenue paper. The piece displays the crowned colonial arms surrounded by a laurel wreath with the inscription 'ONE HALF PERCENT', executed in colourless embossing and framed by printer’s blue layout guide lines with a printed 'Specimen' designation. Unlike adhesive revenue stamps, this form of fiscal authentication was produced as embossed security paper intended to validate legal and financial documents. ... Read more →

Italy 1871 — Germania with Shield and Spear, Vignette Die Proof (Used for 500 Lire, PS977)

This engraved vignette proof depicting 'Germania with Shield and Spear' was produced by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in London for the Banca Italo-Germanica during the early 1870s. The impression preserves the complete ornamental vignette prepared for the proposed 500 Lire banknote design, including the decorative frame and denomination tablet engraved for integration into the final banknote layout. ... Read more →

United States 1830s — Pennsylvania, Philadelphia — Penn Township Savings Institution 10 Cents Proof (Unlisted)

This engraved proof note was prepared for the Penn Township Savings Institution of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the early 1830s. Rather than serving as circulating currency, the document represents a fractional savings deposit certificate issued by one of the many mutual savings institutions that emerged in American cities during the early nineteenth century. The text of the instrument reveals its purpose: a depositor places ten cents with the institution, which promises repayment with interest at two percent per annum, or redemption on demand once the accumulated balance reaches five dollars in current bank notes. ... Read more →

Mexico 1915 — Ayuntamiento de Zitácuaro 10 Centavos (Uncut Sheet of Four, M2952c)

This uncut vertical sheet of four 10 Centavos notes was issued by the Ayuntamiento (municipal council) of Zitácuaro in the state of Michoacán during the Mexican Revolution. Catalogued as M2952c, the issue belongs to the wave of emergency municipal currencies produced throughout Mexico between 1914 and 1916 when the collapse of the national monetary system created an acute shortage of small change. During the revolutionary conflict, the circulation of federal coinage and banknotes was severely disrupted. ... Read more →

Poland 1988 — 50 Złotych Prefix HK Missing Signatures Date Print Error Issued Note (Pick 142c)

Issued 50 Złotych banknote of the Narodowy Bank Polski dated 1 December 1988 displaying a major typographic omission error. The entire printed layer containing the line 'WARSZAWA, 1 GRUDNIA 1988' together with the signatures of the issuing officials (Prezes and Główny Skarbnik) is completely absent. The national eagle emblem printed in the central guilloche remains intact, demonstrating that only the upper black typographic layer failed to transfer during printing. ... Read more →

Poland 1988 — 50 Złotych Prefix HK Issued Note (Pick 142c)

The 50 Złotych banknote dated 'Warszawa, 1 Grudnia 1988' represents one of the final circulating issues of the Polish People's Republic before the monetary and political transformations of the early 1990s. Printed by Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych in Warsaw for the Narodowy Bank Polski, the denomination formed part of the 1986–1988 modernization of the circulating banknote series. The obverse presents the portrait of General Karol Świerczewski, a military figure associated with the communist period of Polish history. ... 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 →

Fiji 1942 — 1 Pound Government of Fiji Overprint on New Zealand £1 (Pick 45c)

This one pound note issued for Fiji in 1942 was created by overprinting an existing Reserve Bank of New Zealand £1 note originally dated 1 August 1934. The base note was printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company in London for circulation in New Zealand, but during the Second World War it was adapted for emergency use within the British colony of Fiji. In early 1942 Japanese military expansion across the Pacific severely disrupted supply lines throughout the British colonial network. ... Read more →

Honduras 1863 — 5 Pesos Treasury Bond Vale de Hacienda República Libre, Soberano e Independiente (Pick 7)

This 5 Pesos vale de hacienda was issued by the Republic of Honduras under the decree of 2 March 1863 and represents one of the earliest surviving treasury obligations of the Honduran republic. During the mid-nineteenth century Honduras lacked a formal banking system and frequently relied on treasury vales such as this to finance government operations and supplement the limited supply of metallic currency. The document prominently displays the national seal of the 'República de Honduras Libre, Soberano e Independiente', featuring the triangular emblem with radiant sun and landscape motif adopted after independence. ... Read more →