Antique banknotes, scripophily, more will be sold at auction May 15th Archives International Auctions will offer 1,070 lots of U.S. and worldwide banknotes, scripophily and security printing ephemera at auction on Tuesday, May 15, at 10 a.m. (EST) in Fort Lee, N.J.
News-Antique.com - May 02,2012 - (FORT LEE, N.J.) – Archives International Auctions will offer 1,070 lots of U.S. and worldwide banknotes, scripophily (the collecting of stock and bond certificates) and security printing ephemera at auction on Tuesday, May 15, at 10 a.m. (EST), at the firm’s new offices located in Fort Lee, N.J.. The auction will offer live gallery bidding as well as phone and live Internet bidding at www.archivesinternational.com.
“We are privileged to offer another amazing collection of numismatic rarities that rarely if ever cross the auction block, including two new discovery banknotes from Peru and China being offered for the first time,” stated Dr. Robert Schwartz of Archives International Auctions. “By acquiring one or more of these rare and beautiful pieces, it’s literally possible to imagine holding history in your hands. We expect this sale to be just as exciting as our past auctions over the last two years.”
The auction is packed with rare and desirable banknotes including a previously unknown 1909 Russo-Asiatic Bank (Shanghai, China) specimen banknote for 10 Mexican dollars (est. $6,000-$10,000). This lovely banknote boasts a dramatic design with facing dragons and will be a trophy for any discerning collector. Another amazing banknote from the same issuer, a 1910 $100 Russo-Asiatic issued banknote, will also be offered along with 17 other desirable Chinese banknotes as well as over 300 different foreign banknotes and related production material lots.
Also included are dozens of U.S. obsolete banknotes, as well as a new find of obsolete proprietary proof banknotes (including many notes never seen in any form) from the American Bank Note Commemoratives (a former division of ABNC) inventory which is composed of numismatic and philatelic production material, proprietary proofs, commemorative and souvenir cards and rare Security Printing Ephemera that is rarely available to collectors and will be featured in multiple sessions in upcoming auctions.
For the ultimate specialist is a large section of Security Printing Ephemera including rare vignette sheets, vignette die proofs used on banknotes and stock certificates, advertising notes and miscellaneous ephemera rarely seen in auction or available to collectors. The scripophily section will include 412 lots of stocks and bonds (banking, mining, railroad, foreign, etc.), and include items for every level of collector.
Five lots could bring between $5,000 and $15,000 each. They include an 1855 Chinese, Year Five, Board of Revenue 3-Taels, issued banknote, very popular and scarce, graded very fine (est. $5,000-$8,000); an 1874 unlisted, issued, cancelled Peruvian discovery note, 10 Soles / Series B (est. $3,000-$6,000); and an 1886 issue proof for a Banco Nacional de Paraguay 200-peso banknote (est. $2,500-$5,000).
Other international banknotes include a circa 1870-1880 specimen color trial Mexican banknote for 100 pesos, rare and choice uncirculated (est. $2,000-$4,000); an 1882 Brazil issue color trial essay proof banknote, rare and graded choice uncirculated (est. $1,500-$3,000); and an 1862 Colonial Bank of Natal (South Africa) 5-pound issued banknote (est. $1,750-$3,000).
From the U.S. comes an uncut sheet of four notes from the Mercantile Bank of Waterloo. Ill., originally printed circa 1850s-‘60s but these
