Collection PL

Australia 1877 — City of Melbourne Bank Limited £20 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)

A unique surviving specimen of the £20 denomination issued by the City of Melbourne Bank Limited, representing one of the highest-value private banknotes produced in colonial Victoria. Printed from Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. master plates, this note belongs to the final generation of Australian private banknote engraving before national standardization and the destruction of nearly all high-denomination material. ... Read more →

Poland 1994 — 50 Złotych Front Proof (Pick 175ap1)

The definitive front proof of the 1994 50 Złotych issue, this sheet represents the final approved obverse design prepared by Thomas De La Rue for Narodowy Bank Polski during Poland’s post-communist monetary reform. Executed as an internal production proof, it preserves the complete engraved obverse exactly as authorized for issue, prior to serial numbering and reverse printing. The design features the portrait of King Kazimierz III Wielki (Casimir the Great), rendered in De La Rue’s modern intaglio style and integrated into a complex guilloche framework reflecting European security-printing standards of the early 1990s. ... Read more →

Libya 1972 — Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars Issued Note (Pick 37b, With Arabic Inscription)

This note represents the finalized circulation variety of the Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars issue, classified as Pick 37b and dated to the 1972 production phase. It differs from the earlier Pick 37a issue by the addition of an Arabic legal inscription along the lower margin, bringing the design into alignment with the fully standardized Central Bank legal formula. The addition of the inscription reflects administrative consolidation rather than a redesign of the note’s security or artistic elements. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 — Tesouro Nacional, Undated ‘Valor Legal’ Test Proof

Typography and layout test prepared for the Tesouro Nacional, featuring the arced inscription 'TESOURO NACIONAL' and upper legend 'VALOR LEGAL'. Printed without denomination or date on thin archival paper, this undated printer’s trial was created to evaluate font weight, curvature, and typographic balance for potential note headers. During the 1960s, Brazil’s currency authorities frequently requested printer samples to refine the national identity of Tesouro Nacional issues. ... Read more →

Luxembourg 20 March 1970 — 100 Francs Face Photographic Proof Grand Duke Jean (Pick Unlisted)

Face-side photographic proof of the 1970 one hundred francs issue of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, produced as part of the final design validation process prior to full printing. This example presents the complete obverse layout in monochrome, mounted on archival cardstock, and retains full design clarity without color application. The note displays serial number A000000 in dual placement, consistent with specimen-format numbering used for internal production and review material. ... Read more →

United States 1948 — Republican National Convention Ticket Philadelphia, E.A. Wright Bank Note Co.

Engraved admission ticket for the 1948 Republican National Convention, held June 21–25 at Philadelphia’s Convention Hall. Produced by the E.A. Wright Bank Note Company, a leading Philadelphia security printer, this ticket fuses political spectacle with the visual language of currency. ... Read more →

Brazil 1963 — Tesouro Nacional 10 Cruzeiros Issuede Note (Pick 167b)

The 10 Cruzeiros note dated 1963 was issued by the Tesouro Nacional during the turbulent final years of Brazil’s first Cruzeiro monetary system. Printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York, it embodies the meticulous craftsmanship and classical design language for which ABNC was world-renowned. The obverse presents a formal engraved portrait of Getúlio Vargas, President of Brazil through two defining eras: his populist leadership of the 1930s and 1940s and his later return to power in the early 1950s. ... Read more →

Uruguay 1887 — Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay 20 Centesimos Issued Note Serial K078922 (Pick A88c)

This 20 Centesimos note was issued by the Banco Nacional de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay under the monetary framework dated 25 de Agosto de 1887, during a phase of institutional consolidation and expanding note production. Printed in London by Waterlow and Sons, this example represents the mechanically signed emission classified as Pick A88c, marking a technical evolution within the same engraved design series. The Banco Nacional functioned as a principal national banking authority in late nineteenth century Uruguay, issuing notes convertible within a metallic-based monetary structure. ... Read more →

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

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 →

Confederate States of America 1864 – 10 Dollars First Series in Roman Letters Richmond (T-68 PF-3 CR-541)

The ten-dollar note of the February 17, 1864 issue, cataloged as T-68 (Criswell 541), was among the final wartime emissions of the Confederate Treasury. Printed in Richmond, Virginia, by Keatinge & Ball of Columbia, South Carolina, it forms part of the most widely recognized Confederate paper-money design family—distinguished by pink underprint, detailed engraving, and complex typography produced under severe wartime constraints. The central vignette depicts Confederate artillery and cavalry maneuvering on the battlefield, adapted from an original steel engraving used before the war. ... Read more →

Australia 1965 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited $50 Travellers Cheque Rejected Design Proof (Pick Unlisted)

Rejected design proof for the 50 Dollars traveller’s cheque prepared by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, for The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited. Submitted in 1965 as the top denomination in the same three-value series, this pink-rose specimen bears the annotation “Not Approved” and the same submission date as the $20 proof. The engraving is rich and multi-layered, displaying Bradbury Wilkinson’s refined late-intaglio craftsmanship with deep guilloche patterns and broad, formal typography. ... Read more →

Australia 1929 — Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited — Circular Letter of Introduction Photographic Proof (Mounted on Cardstock, PCGS 50 About New)

This photographic proof represents a Circular Letter of Introduction prepared for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited during the late interwar period. Such documents functioned as formal financial identification instruments, issued to bank clients traveling abroad to establish identity, credibility, and recognized standing within an international banking network. In practical use, the holder would present the letter to correspondent banks, which would acknowledge the issuing institution and extend services based on that established relationship. ... Read more →