Collection PL

Paraguay 1907 — 100 Pesos with 1912 Dual-Side State and Treasury Revalidation Overprint Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

Archival specimen of the 1907 Banco de la República 100 Pesos, base Pick 159, printed by Waterlow & Sons, London, and later transformed by one of the most historically revealing emergency overprint configurations in Paraguayan paper money. The note bears the large face overprint “Emisión del Estado – 11 de Enero de 1912,” together with the reverse fiscal validation “Departamento de Hacienda – Junta Fiscalizadora – Diez Pesos Oro Sellado – Conforme Decreto de 20 de Mayo 1912.” This dual-side treatment places the note outside the ordinary single-face revalidation pattern and identifies it as a treasury-controlled specimen of exceptional documentary importance. The significance of the reverse overprint is especially important. ... Read more →

China 1880 — Sinkiang Textile Emergency Currency, Cloth Note (Pick Unlisted)

This textile emergency currency from Sinkiang belongs to the late Qing frontier monetary tradition, when regional authorities relied on locally produced substitutes in response to chronic shortages of official coin and paper money. Executed on coarse red-dyed cloth and printed by hand-carved woodblocks, the note reflects a monetary environment shaped by isolation, logistical constraints, and reliance on pre-modern administrative practices. The use of textile as a monetary substrate is not symbolic but functional. ... Read more →

China 1915 — South Sinkiang Border Defence Headquarters 1 Tael Textile Emergency Issue (Pick Unlisted)

This 1 tael textile banknote represents a formally authorized military emergency issue produced in 1915 by the South Sinkiang Border Defence Headquarters during a period of severe administrative and monetary fragmentation in western China. Issued within the southern frontier zone encompassing Khotan, Yarkand, and Karghalik, the note reflects a localized system of fiscal control exercised by military authorities operating with substantial autonomy from central government structures. The banknote is printed on hand-woven textile rather than paper, a deliberate and practical choice dictated by frontier conditions. ... Read more →

China 1918 — Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

An issued textile emergency currency produced in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) during the early Republican period, printed by hand from carved woodblocks onto red-dyed cotton cloth. This note represents a locally authorized substitute currency created for circulation under conditions of monetary instability, material shortage, and fragmented administrative control in China’s western frontier. The design is printed directly onto fabric in dark ink, with the textile weave clearly visible through the impression. ... Read more →

China 1920 — Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

An issued textile emergency currency produced in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) in the early Republican period, printed by hand from woodblock onto coarse red-dyed cotton cloth. This note forms part of the broader tradition of frontier textile currency developed in western China under conditions of monetary instability, material shortage, and decentralized administrative control. The design is executed in dark ink directly on fabric, with the weave of the cloth clearly visible through the printed impression. ... Read more →

China 1921 — Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth with Sun Emblem (Pick Unlisted)

An issued textile emergency currency produced in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) during the early Republican period, printed by hand from carved woodblocks onto red-dyed cotton cloth. This note represents a distinct local issue within the Xinjiang textile tradition, created for circulation under conditions of monetary instability, limited access to paper currency, and decentralized administrative control in China’s western frontier. The design is printed directly onto coarse textile in dark ink, with the weave of the fabric clearly visible through the impression. ... Read more →

China 1922 — Xinjiang Textile Emergency Currency Printed on Red Cloth, Local Authority Issue (Pick Unlisted)

An issued textile emergency currency produced in Xinjiang (Sinkiang) during the early Republican period and printed by hand from carved woodblocks onto coarse red-dyed cotton cloth. This note represents a locally authorized substitute currency created for circulation under conditions of monetary disruption, limited access to paper stock, and fragmented administrative control in China’s western frontier. The design is executed directly onto fabric in dark ink, with the textile weave clearly visible through the printed impression. ... Read more →

China 1924 — Dihua Official Coin Bureau 40 Wen Textile Emergency Issue (Pick Unlisted)

This 40 wen textile banknote represents a formally authorized emergency issue produced in 1924 by the Dihua Official Coin Bureau during a period of acute monetary disruption in Xinjiang. Faced with shortages of paper currency, disrupted transport routes, and limited access to centralized printing facilities, local authorities adopted cloth as an alternative monetary substrate to sustain everyday economic activity. The note was printed on coarse red cotton using traditional woodblock techniques, a method well suited to decentralized production and durable circulation under harsh regional conditions. ... Read more →

Australia 1905–1910 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED £5 Specimen Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Proof specimen printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. between 1905 and 1910 for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED — one of Australia’s oldest and most respected private banks, founded in 1834. The CBC operated independently until its 1981 merger with the National Bank of Australasia, forming today’s NAB. ... Read more →

Australia ND (1880–1889) — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited £5 SPECIMEN with Serial Prefix (Pick Unlisted, MVR4a)

A printer-issued £5 SPECIMEN prepared by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, dating to the late 1880s production window (ND 1880–1889), and bearing live serial numbers rather than zero or placeholder prefixes. This piece represents an internal control or approval specimen drawn from a numbered production sequence, distinct from margin-heavy proof impressions or display specimens. ... Read more →

Mexico 1884 – Fábrica de Tunal 1 Peso (Pick Unlisted, ABNC)

One of the most sophisticated corporate issues produced in northern Mexico during the Porfiriato modernization period, this fully issued and serialed 1 Peso note from La Fábrica de Tunal represents a hybrid monetary instrument that straddled formal banknote design and private scrip functionality. Unlike the majority of locally lithographed corporate payroll chits of the 1880s, this piece was engraved and printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York—an extremely rare choice for a non-bank issuer and clear evidence of the company's scale and financial ambition. La Fábrica de Tunal operated in the rural industrial zone outside Durango city along the Tunal River, referenced repeatedly in contemporary mining, agricultural, and provincial reports. ... Read more →

Argentina 1871 — Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 10 Pesos Rosario Specimen No. 000001 (Pick Unlisted)

This specimen represents an archival control note of the Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata 10 Pesos issue prepared for the Rosario branch, dated Rosario, 10 de Noviembre de 1871, and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company in London. It was produced as part of the bank internal authorization and registration process for provincial issues and was never intended for circulation. The Banco de Londres y Rio de la Plata, incorporated in London in 1862, operated as a British controlled private bank with branches in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Rosario, and Montevideo. ... Read more →