Collection PL

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 →

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 →

Egypt 1907 — First Issue Revenues 1 & 2 Milliemes Tied on Official Document

Official Egyptian internal-security and licensing document dated 1907, printed on pale beige government stock with a pre-ruled bilingual Arabic–French layout. The sheet contains early Khedivial administrative headings at top right (وزارة الداخلية – قسم الضبط) and preprinted lines for applicant name, profession, address, and licensing purpose. All fields are completed in dark brown dip-pen ink with flowing early 20th-century handwriting. ... Read more →

Russia 1920 — Armed Forces of South Russia 100,000 Rubles Treasury Bill (November Issue, Pick S431c)

Six-percent short-term Treasury bill for 100,000 rubles issued by the Government Treasury of the Armed Forces of South Russia during the final phase of the Russian Civil War. This is the November 15, 1920 payable issue (Pick S431c), printed after General Pyotr Wrangel transferred the White administration to Crimea. The note follows the classical Imperial layout: bilingual Russian–French legends, the double-headed eagle in an ornate oval cartouche at left, and a formal typographic bond structure intended to signal continuity with pre-1917 state finance. ... Read more →

Egypt 1925 — Government Internal Fraud Certificate With Full Pane of Six King Fouad Five Milliemes Revenues

Original 1925 internal government certificate issued within an Egyptian ministry to document an irregularity or attempted fraud in an internal administrative process. The document is fully handwritten in period script with dated entries, clerk annotations, and formal internal case wording, including the 15 October 1925 date written directly into the manuscript text. The paper displays natural toning, corner folds, and routine office wear consistent with everyday administrative handling during the Fouad era. ... Read more →

Barbados 1975 — Government of Barbados 50,000 Dollars Treasury Bill, Specimen, Perforated SPECIMEN, Prefix F (Atypical for Denomination)

This Treasury Bill specimen was issued by the Government of Barbados under the authority of the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922 and represents a non-circulating internal specimen retained for treasury control, audit reference, and archival purposes. The denomination of fifty thousand dollars places this bill among the highest-value Treasury Bills produced for Barbados. While 50,000-dollar Treasury Bills are normally associated with prefix E, this specimen carries prefix F, documenting a distinct internal serial configuration used for this specific control issue. ... Read more →

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 →