Collection PL

Barbados 1981 — Government of Barbados 500,000 Dollars Treasury Bill, Specimen, Red Overprint, Prefix G

Specimen Treasury Bill issued by the Government of Barbados under the authority of the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922 and prepared as a non-circulating reference instrument for internal treasury, accounting, and archival use. The bill is denominated at five hundred thousand dollars, representing the highest denomination within the Barbados Treasury Bill series. Instruments of this value were intended exclusively for exceptional treasury reference and internal control purposes rather than routine fiscal operations. ... 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 →

Portugal 1799 — Real Erario 20000 Reis Apólice, Original Issue, No Overprint, Lisboa No. 37723

A Portuguese royal-era public debt instrument issued in Lisboa in 1799 under the authority of the Real Erario, denominated 20000 reis and payable to bearer. This document is an apólice, a formal treasury obligation representing state-backed debt issued during a period of administrative continuity in late eighteenth-century Portugal, prior to the political and fiscal disruptions of the nineteenth century. This example belongs to the original issue phase of Portuguese treasury apólices and predates the period commonly associated with the War of the Brothers. ... 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 →

Italy 1781 — Regie Finanze di Torino 5 Scudi Front Proof Sheet (Pick Unlisted)

This uncut front proof sheet represents the five scudi denomination prepared for the Regie Finanze of the Kingdom of Sardinia and dated Torino il primo Luglio 1781. It is a true proof-stage production sheet and constitutes the only currently documented multi-impression sheet of this denomination. The sheet is printed from the earliest engraved plates, specifically plate numbers one and two. ... Read more →

Italy 1745 — Regie Finanze di Torino — 100 Lire Back Proof, Pre-Date Control State (Pick Unlisted)

This proof sheet represents the back of the one hundred lire denomination prepared for the Regie Finanze of the Kingdom of Sardinia and preserves a pre-date control state in which the control framework is fully engraved but carries no engraved date. All elements originate from plate number two. The entire composition is enclosed within a rectangular ornamental frame and printed under full intaglio pressure on official laid paper, with plate impression clearly visible from the verso. ... Read more →

Italy 1746 — Regie Finanze di Torino — 100 Lire Back Proof, Fixed-Date Control State (Pick Unlisted)

This proof sheet represents the back of the one hundred lire denomination prepared for the Regie Finanze of the Kingdom of Sardinia and preserves the fixed-date control state dated Torino il p. Gen. 1746. ... Read more →

Italy 1765 — Regie Finanze di Torino — 100 Lire Front Proof, Final Face State (Pick Unlisted)

This proof sheet represents the front of the one hundred lire denomination prepared for the Regie Finanze of the Kingdom of Sardinia and preserves the final face state dated Torino il p. Gen. 1765. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 1970 — Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Unissued Back Photographic Proof

This unissued photographic proof represents the back design prepared for the one dollar denomination of the Cayman Islands Currency Board during the late colonial monetary period around 1970. The object survives as a standalone design-stage artifact and documents a phase in which the reverse layout, ornamental balance, and security composition were evaluated independently as a complete surface in its own right. The Cayman Islands Currency Board operated within a conservative monetary framework characteristic of British Caribbean administration, where visual restraint, symmetry, and institutional clarity were prioritized in currency design. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 — Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Specimen with Red Overprint & Oval Stamp (Pick 5bs)

This specimen note represents the one dollar denomination prepared for the Cayman Islands Currency Board under the Cayman Islands Currency Law of 1974 and was printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, with the PMG label attributing the production to a not dated 1985 printing. It was produced as a controlled reference specimen and permanently invalidated through a combination of overprint, printer-applied control stamps, and physical cancellation. The defining invalidation features consist of a bold red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint across the face, accompanied by two red oval printer control stamps reading “SPECIMEN / DE LA RUE / NO VALUE.” These oval stamps are applied in the standard Thomas De La Rue format used to mark internally controlled specimen material. ... Read more →

Poland 1928 — Bank Polski 20 Zlotych Archival Watermarked Paper (Miłczak 67)

This archival sheet represents an original watermark paper prepared by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited in London for the 20 złotych banknote dated 2 January 1928 for Bank Polski. The banknote itself was never introduced into circulation, and surviving material from this project is known almost exclusively in specimen form. The present piece preserves the production substrate — the multitone watermark paper — rather than a printed banknote. ... Read more →