Collection PL

Australia 1880–1910 — Commercial Bank of Australia £100 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A monumental survivor from Australia’s private banking era, this £100 specimen ranks among the most important colonial-era notes known. Printed circa 1880–1910 for the Commercial Bank of Australia Limited, it represents the uppermost denomination produced under the private-issue system that existed before the Commonwealth took full control of note issuance in 1910. No issued examples of this £100 are believed to have survived, making specimens the only remaining documentation of the type. ... Read more →

Poland 1994, 50 Zlotych Specimen with Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' AR Prefix (Pick Unlisted)

This AR-prefix specimen is a fully printed 50 zlotych banknote from Poland’s 1994 series, permanently cancelled by a large perforated inscription reading “SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE” across the portrait of King Casimir III the Great. The perforation represents a terminal archival control form prepared by Thomas De La Rue and retained for internal documentation and security reference. The banknote preserves the complete production design corresponding to the issued currency, including serial number AR0000000 and the official signatures of the National Bank of Poland. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1916–1920 — Bank of New Zealand £5 Red-Rose (Orange Lineage) Specimen with Serial Number Prefix (Pick S227s)

The finest preserved £5 specimen of New Zealand’s wartime private-banknote era and the highest-graded example recorded for Pick S227s. Printed in London by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. during the 1916–1920 wartime production cycle, this specimen represents an internal audit and approval piece retained from a numbered print run rather than a zero-serial display copy. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1895–1915 — Bank of New Zealand 5 Pounds Orange Specimen (Pick S192s)

The high-denomination anchor of the Bank of New Zealand color series, this five pounds orange specimen (Pick S192s) represents one of the most structurally complex and production-informative notes of New Zealand’s private banking era. Printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, London, it embodies the transition from richly ornamental Victorian engraving toward the more controlled and symmetrical Edwardian framework that followed. The composition preserves the defining elements of the earlier series—paired Māori figures within oval medallions at left, a lower maritime vignette reflecting colonial trade identity, and a dense guilloche lattice enclosing the denomination—while introducing a more disciplined spatial hierarchy across the central obligation panel. ... Read more →

Luxembourg 1970 — 100 Francs Archival Gridlines Calibration Specimen Serial D170001 (Pick 56s)

Archival calibration specimen of the 1970 one hundred francs issue of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, produced during the Belgian Luxembourg Economic Union period and printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company, London. Unlike standard specimen notes bearing placeholder serials, this example carries a live production-format serial number D170001, linking it directly to an active print batch within the manufacturing process. Across the full surface, original blue registration gridlines remain visible. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1981 — 100 Dollars H.R. Hardie Signature Replacement Star Serial YA000000* Printer Annotation Specimen (Pick 175as)

The 1981 one hundred dollars printer annotation specimen represents an exceptional archival-stage artifact from New Zealand’s decimal currency series, issued within the ND (1981–1985) period under the signature of H.R. Hardie as Chief Cashier. This note belongs to the later Hardie design phase, distinguished by the revised portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, reflecting the mature design update that followed the earlier 1977–1981 issues. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1981 — 100 Dollars H.R. Hardie Signature Serial YAA000000 Printer Annotation Specimen with Single Punch Hole (Pick 175as)

The 1981 one hundred dollars printer annotation specimen represents a working-stage production artifact from New Zealand’s decimal currency series, issued within the ND (1981–1985) period under the signature of H.R. Hardie as Chief Cashier. This note belongs to the later Hardie design phase, identified by the revised portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, reflecting the mature visual update of the series. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1985 — 100 Dollars S.T. Russell Signature Black Overprint SPECIMEN Dual Oval Stamps Specimen No. 004 Serial YAC000000 (Pick 175bs)

The 1985 one hundred dollars specimen represents one of the most complex and information-rich specimen formats produced during the final paper-currency era of New Zealand, issued within the ND (1985–1989) period under the signature of S.T. Russell as Chief Cashier. This series marks the closing stage of the traditional engraved paper hundreds before the transition to polymer. ... Read more →

New Zealand 1992 — 100 Dollars Rutherford Design Vertical Red SPECIMEN Overprint Printer-Annotated TDLR Specimen (Pick 181s)

The 1992 one hundred dollars specimen marks the introduction of the Rutherford design and the beginning of New Zealand’s final paper currency series before the transition to polymer. Issued by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and printed by Thomas De La Rue & Company, London, this note replaces the long-standing Queen Elizabeth II portrait with Lord Ernest Rutherford of Nelson, symbolizing a decisive shift toward national scientific identity within the country’s banknote iconography. This example represents a complex internal printer specimen, combining multiple control and approval features rarely encountered together on a single note. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 — Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Specimen with Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' (Pick 5as)

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 1981 printing. The note was never intended for circulation and instead functioned as terminal archival reference material within the printer and issuing authority control framework. The defining feature of this specimen is a large dot-matrix perforation reading “SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE” applied across the face of the note. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 — Cayman Islands Currency Board 1 Dollar Specimen with Red Overprint (Pick 5s)

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 presentation and institutional reference specimen and was never intended for public circulation. The defining feature of this example is a single bold red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint applied across the face of the note. ... Read more →

Cayman Islands 1974 — Cayman Islands Currency Board 5 Dollars Specimen with Perforated 'SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE' (Pick 6s, 467/1–A2)

This five dollar Cayman Islands Currency Board specimen is a perforated archival control example of the 1974 series authorized under the Cayman Islands Currency Law of 1974. It preserves the full production design of the denomination while being permanently invalidated by a dot-matrix perforation reading “SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE” across the face, a cancellation method intended for final archival retention rather than for outward-facing specimen distribution. The specimen carries the all-zero serial format with prefix A/1, a configuration reserved exclusively for specimen material and never used on circulation notes. ... Read more →