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113 records
pocket watches
American Waltham Watch Company — Model 1857 Pocket Watch Movement
1857–1880s
Key-wound, key-set 18-size full plate pocket watch movement, the first Waltham model produced in quantity with interchangeable parts.
modern coins
Argentine silver peso (Patacon)
Late 19th century
Crown-sized silver peso of the Argentine Republic, popularly known as the Patacon.
banknotes
Assignat
1789-1796
Paper money issued during the French Revolution, originally backed by confiscated land.
ancient coins
Athenian Owl Tetradrachm
c. 5th–4th century BC
Silver tetradrachm of classical Athens showing the helmeted head of Athena and, on the reverse, an owl with olive sprig and the legend AΘE.
modern coins
Austrian 20 kreuzer
18th to 19th century
A silver denomination of the Austrian monetary system, issued at numerous mints across the Habsburg lands.
modern coins
Austro-Hungarian Empire — 1 Corona — Silver
1892–1916
Silver one-corona coin of the Austro-Hungarian crown currency, issued in parallel Austrian and Hungarian types.
banknotes
Bank of England ten shilling note
20th century
A low-denomination Bank of England note issued until decimalisation replaced the denomination with a coin.
banknotes
Bank of England White Five Pound Note
19th century to 1957
Large-format Bank of England five pound note printed in black on white paper on one side only, in use until its withdrawal in the late 1950s.
stamps
Basel Dove, 1845
1845
Cantonal postage stamp of Basel issued in 1845, printed in three colours with an embossed white dove, and regarded as the first tricolour postage stamp.
modern coins
Belgian 5 francs silver
19th century
Crown-sized silver 5 franc pieces of the Kingdom of Belgium, struck to the Latin Monetary Union standard.
banknotes
British colonial American paper currency
Colonial period
Paper currency issued by individual British North American colonies, typically bearing anti-counterfeiting devices such as nature printing.
modern coins
British Godless Florin, 1849
1849
Silver florin of 1849, the first British florin, so called because the customary DEI GRATIA was omitted from the obverse legend.
modern coins
British Gold Sovereign
1817 onwards
Gold sovereign of the United Kingdom, reintroduced in 1817 and most associated with the St George and the dragon reverse engraved by Benedetto Pistrucci.
modern coins
British Hong Kong colonial coinage
Colonial period
Coinage struck for the colony of Hong Kong, denominated in cents and dollars.
modern coins
British India rupee
19th to 20th century
The principal silver denomination of British India, bearing the portrait of the reigning British monarch.
stamps
British Penny Red
1841–1879
Adhesive postage stamp of the United Kingdom in red, which succeeded the Penny Black and remained in use, through several printings, for nearly four decades.
banknotes
British Treasury one pound note (Bradbury)
From 1914
Emergency Treasury notes issued at the outbreak of the First World War, associated with the signature of John Bradbury.
stamps
British Two Pence Blue, 1840
1840
Adhesive postage stamp of the United Kingdom issued in 1840 alongside the Penny Black, printed in blue for the two pence rate.
stamps
British Wilding definitive stamps
1952-1967
Definitive stamps of Elizabeth II based on a Dorothy Wilding photographic portrait, preceding the Machin series.
modern coins
Bronze farthing
19th to 20th century
The smallest British bronze denomination of the pre-decimal era, one quarter of a penny.
stamps
Bull's Eye issue
1843
The first postage stamps of Brazil, showing large numerals and no country name.
ancient coins
Byzantine Gold Solidus
4th–11th century AD
Gold solidus of the Byzantine Empire, the principal gold denomination of the eastern Roman state and a standard of account across the medieval Mediterranean.
modern coins
Canadian large cent
1858-1920
The large-format Canadian one cent piece, replaced by a small cent in 1920.
modern coins
Canadian silver dollar
From 1935
A Canadian one dollar silver coin, the earliest issues showing a canoe with a voyageur and an Indigenous passenger.
modern coins
Cartwheel penny, 1797
1797
A large copper penny struck by Matthew Boulton at the Soho Mint under contract, distinguished by its broad raised rim with incuse lettering.
stamps
Columbian Exposition issue
1893
The first United States commemorative stamp series, issued for the World Columbian Exposition and running to sixteen denominations.
modern coins
Commonwealth of Australia penny
1911-1964
The bronze penny of the pre-decimal Australian currency.
stamps
Confederate States general issue stamps
1861-1865
The small series of adhesive postage stamps issued centrally by the Confederate post office, alongside earlier provisional local issues.
banknotes
Confederate States treasury notes
1861-1865
Paper treasury notes issued by the Confederate States of America, printed under wartime conditions in varying quality.
modern coins
Danish 2 kroner silver
Scandinavian Monetary Union era
Silver 2 kroner of the Danish monarchy, issued as currency and as commemorative types during the Scandinavian Monetary Union.
banknotes
Educational Series silver certificate
Series 1896
A United States silver certificate series widely noted for its allegorical engraved designs across three denominations.
modern coins
First coinage of the State of Israel
From 1948
The earliest coins issued by the State of Israel following independence, based on ancient Jewish coin motifs.
stamps
First United States airmail issue
1918
The first United States stamps issued specifically to prepay airmail postage.
modern coins
Flowing Hair dollar
1794-1795
The first silver dollar struck by the United States Mint, showing a bust of Liberty with unbound hair.
stamps
France — Semeuse (Sower) Definitive Series
from 1903
Long-running French definitive series showing a sowing female figure, first issued in 1903 and reused across several decades and formats.
modern coins
French 20 Francs Gold Coin
19th–early 20th century
Gold twenty-franc coin of France, issued in successive types across the Consulate, Empire, monarchies and Republic, colloquially called a napoleon.
stamps
French Ceres Issue, 1849
1849
First adhesive postage stamps of France, showing the head of Ceres, issued from 1849.
stamps
French Marianne definitive stamps
20th century onward
Long-running French definitive series depicting Marianne, redesigned repeatedly under successive republics.
modern coins
German Empire 1 mark
1873-1916
A small silver coin of the unified German currency system, of uniform imperial design across all states.
modern coins
German Empire 20 Mark Gold Coin
1871–1915
Gold twenty-mark coin of the German Empire, struck for the constituent states with the ruler or arms of the issuing state on the obverse and the imperial eagle on the reverse.
emergency money
German Notgeld
c. 1914–1923
Emergency money issued in Germany by municipalities, companies and other local bodies during and after the First World War, in the absence of sufficient official small change.
stamps
Germania definitive series
1900-1922
The long-running German imperial definitive series showing an allegorical figure of Germania.
stamps
Great Britain — Penny Black — 1840
1840
The first adhesive postage stamp issued for public use, placed on sale in May 1840 as part of the Uniform Penny Post reform.
modern coins
Greek silver drachma coinage (Kingdom of Greece)
19th century
Silver drachma denominations struck for the Kingdom of Greece, largely following Latin Monetary Union weight and fineness standards during the later nineteenth century.
modern coins
Holey dollar and dump
1813
A Spanish colonial eight reales with its centre punched out, creating two coins for use in the colony of New South Wales.
banknotes
Hungarian B.-Pengo Notes, 1946
1946
Hungarian notes of the 1946 hyperinflation, denominated in milpengo and b.-pengo units where each unit stood for a million or a million million pengo respectively.
modern coins
Imperial silver rouble
18th to 20th century
The principal silver denomination of the Russian Empire, issued over two centuries with changing portraits and standards.
modern coins
Indian Head cent
1859-1909
A small United States one cent coin showing Liberty wearing a feathered headdress.
modern coins
Irish Free State coinage (Barnyard series)
From 1928
Distinctive Irish coinage introduced in 1928, with animal designs by Percy Metcalfe and an Irish harp obverse.
ancient coins
Japanese mon coin
Edo period
A cast copper coin with a central square hole, the standard low-denomination currency of Edo period Japan.
modern coins
Japanese One Yen Silver Coin
Meiji era onwards
Large silver one-yen coin of Japan, introduced during the Meiji reforms and widely used in East Asian trade.
stamps
Japanese Showa era definitive stamps
Showa era
Definitive postage stamps of Japan issued during the Showa era, with designs drawn from national landmarks and cultural motifs.
stamps
Kangaroo and map series
From 1913
The first Commonwealth of Australia stamp series, showing a kangaroo on a map of the continent.
modern coins
Kingdom of Italy silver lira
1861 onwards
Silver coinage of the unified Kingdom of Italy, bearing the portrait of the reigning monarch.
ancient coins
Korean cast cash coinage (Joseon)
Joseon period
Cast bronze cash coins with a central square hole, issued in Korea over several centuries in the East Asian cash tradition.
banknotes
Large size legal tender note
1862 onwards
United States government notes of the large format used before the reduction in note size in the late 1920s.
stamps
Machin definitive series
From 1967
A long-running British definitive stamp series showing a sculpted profile of the monarch against a plain background.
modern coins
Maria Theresa Thaler
1741 onwards; restruck with the 1780 date
Silver thaler of the Habsburg monarchy which, after the death of Maria Theresa, continued to be restruck bearing the frozen date 1780 for use as a trade coin.
modern coins
Maundy money set
Continuing ceremonial issue
A ceremonial set of small silver coins of four denominations distributed by the monarch at the annual Royal Maundy service.
stamps
Merson type high values
From 1900
French high-denomination definitive stamps showing an allegorical seated figure, used over several decades.
modern coins
Mexican peso, caballito type
1910-1914
A Mexican silver peso showing Liberty on horseback.
modern coins
Napoleon 20 francs
19th century
A French gold twenty franc coin, the standard French gold trade piece of the nineteenth century, issued under successive regimes.
banknotes
National Bank of Egypt banknotes
From 1899
Banknotes issued by the National Bank of Egypt, denominated in Egyptian pounds and piastres with bilingual Arabic and English text.
modern coins
Netherlands silver guilder
19th to 20th century
The principal silver denomination of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
modern coins
New Zealand crown, 1935
1935
A New Zealand crown showing a scene commemorating the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
modern coins
Norwegian 2 kroner silver
Scandinavian Monetary Union era
Silver 2 kroner of Norway, including issues marking the 1905 dissolution of the union with Sweden.
wristwatches
Omega Speedmaster — Chronograph Wristwatch
1957 onwards
Manual-winding chronograph wristwatch line introduced in 1957, later associated with NASA crewed spaceflight.
modern coins
Ottoman kurus
18th to 20th century
A silver denomination of the Ottoman monetary system, bearing the tughra of the reigning sultan.
modern coins
Papal States scudo
Before 1870
The principal silver denomination of the temporal coinage of the Papal States.
modern coins
Penny, 1933
1933
A British bronze penny of which only a very small number were struck, since existing stocks made a general issue unnecessary.
modern coins
Persian silver kran (Qajar)
Qajar period
Silver kran coinage of Qajar Persia, machine-struck from the later nineteenth century.
modern coins
Peruvian silver sol
Republican period
Silver sol coinage of the Republic of Peru, struck largely at the Lima mint and widely exported as trade silver.
modern coins
Polish zloty coinage of the 1924 reform
Interwar
Coinage introduced with the 1924 currency reform that replaced the hyperinflated Polish mark with the zloty.
modern coins
Portuguese gold coinage of the monarchy
Monarchy period
Gold denominations struck under the Portuguese monarchy prior to the republican reform of 1911.
ancient coins
Qing cash coin
1644-1912
A cast bronze coin with a central square hole, bearing a reign title on the obverse and mint identification in Manchu on the reverse.
banknotes
Rentenmark note
From 1923
Notes of the currency introduced to end the German hyperinflation, nominally secured against German land and industry.
modern coins
Republic of China silver dollar
Republican era
Crown-sized silver dollars of the Chinese republic, widely used in domestic and international trade.
ancient coins
Roman Empire — Trajan — Silver Denarius
AD 98–117
Silver denarius struck during the reign of Trajan, with a laureate imperial portrait and a wide range of reverse types.
ancient coins
Roman Republican Denarius
c. 211 BC onwards
Silver denarius of the Roman Republic, the standard silver denomination introduced during the Second Punic War and issued under the authority of annually appointed moneyers.
modern coins
Saint-Gaudens double eagle
1907-1933
A United States twenty dollar gold coin designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, showing a striding Liberty.
stamps
Scinde Dawk
1852
An early adhesive postage stamp issued for the Scinde district, among the first in Asia.
stamps
Seahorse high value stamps
1913 onwards
High-denomination British stamps showing Britannia driving seahorses through waves.
ancient coins
Siamese bullet money (Pot Duang)
Pre-modern to 19th century
Spherical silver bullet money of Siam, stamped with royal and dynastic marks, used before the introduction of struck coinage.
stamps
South African bilingual definitive stamps
Union period
Definitive stamps of the Union of South Africa inscribed in both English and Afrikaans, in several cases printed as alternating se-tenant pairs.
modern coins
South African Union five shillings
Union period
Crown-sized five shilling pieces of the Union of South Africa, struck to sterling specifications.
modern coins
Spanish 5 pesetas silver, Alfonso XIII
Late 19th to early 20th century
Large silver 5 peseta pieces bearing successive portraits of Alfonso XIII, struck to the Latin Monetary Union standard.
modern coins
Spanish Colonial Eight Reales
16th–19th century
Large silver coin of eight reales struck under Spanish authority in Europe and at colonial mints in the Americas, circulating internationally as a trade coin.
modern coins
Standing Liberty quarter
1916-1930
A United States twenty five cent piece showing Liberty standing in a gateway holding a shield.
banknotes
State credit note
19th to 20th century
Paper currency of the Russian Empire, including the large high-denomination notes of the early twentieth century.
modern coins
Straits Settlements dollar
Colonial period
Silver dollar coinage of the Straits Settlements, issued for the British territories on the Malay Peninsula.
modern coins
Swedish 2 kronor silver
Scandinavian Monetary Union era
Silver 2 kronor pieces of the Scandinavian Monetary Union period, including commemorative types.
modern coins
Swiss 20 Francs Vreneli
1897–1949
Gold twenty-franc coin of Switzerland showing a female head representing Helvetia against an alpine background, popularly called the Vreneli.
escapements
Swiss Lever Escapement
19th century to present
The detached lever escapement in its Swiss club-tooth form, the dominant escapement in mechanical watches since the late nineteenth century.
stamps
Three penny beaver
1851
The first postage stamp of the Province of Canada, showing a beaver.
modern coins
United Kingdom — George V — Bronze Penny
1911–1936
Bronze penny of the George V series, continuing the Britannia reverse used on British bronze since 1860.
banknotes
United States — Silver Certificate — 1 Dollar — Series 1935
Series 1935
One-dollar silver certificate of the Series 1935 family, redeemable in silver on demand at the time of issue.
modern coins
United States Buffalo Nickel
1913–1938
Five-cent coin of the United States designed by James Earle Fraser, showing a Native American head and an American bison.
stamps
United States First Issue, 1847
1847
First general issue of adhesive postage stamps of the United States, comprising a five cent stamp bearing Benjamin Franklin and a ten cent stamp bearing George Washington.
modern coins
United States Franklin half dollar
1948-1963
Silver half dollar bearing a portrait of Benjamin Franklin and a reverse Liberty Bell.
stamps
United States Inverted Jenny, 1918
1918
Twenty-four cent United States airmail stamp of 1918 on which the central vignette of the Curtiss JN-4 aircraft was printed inverted relative to the frame, the result of a sheet fed the wrong way during the second printing pass.
modern coins
United States Lincoln Wheat Cent
1909–1958
One-cent coin of the United States with the Lincoln portrait by Victor D. Brenner and a reverse bearing two wheat ears, issued from 1909 until the design change of 1959.
modern coins
United States Mercury Dime
1916–1945
Ten-cent coin of the United States designed by Adolph A. Weinman, showing a winged Liberty head commonly but inaccurately called Mercury.
modern coins
United States Morgan Dollar
1878–1904, 1921
Silver dollar of the United States designed by George T. Morgan, struck 1878–1904 and again in 1921.
banknotes
United States national bank notes
1863-1935
Notes issued by federally chartered national banks, carrying both a national design and the issuing bank's name and charter number.
banknotes
United States one dollar silver certificate, 1957 series
1957 series
Small-size one dollar silver certificates with blue seals and serial numbers, among the last silver certificates issued for general circulation.
modern coins
United States Peace dollar
From 1921
Silver dollar introduced after the First World War with a design commemorating peace, by Anthony de Francisci.
banknotes
United States Two Dollar Federal Reserve Note, Series 1976
Series 1976
United States two dollar Federal Reserve note of Series 1976, issued for the bicentennial with a reverse based on Trumbull's painting of the Declaration of Independence.
modern coins
United States Walking Liberty half dollar
From 1916
Half dollar designed by Adolph A. Weinman, struck in silver over several decades of the twentieth century.
escapements
Verge Escapement
c. 13th century to 19th century
The earliest mechanical clock and watch escapement, using a crown wheel and a verge staff carrying two pallets.
emergency money
Weimar Republic — Reichsbanknote — 100,000 Mark — 1923
1923
High-denomination Reichsbanknote issued during the German hyperinflation of 1923.
stamps
West German Heuss definitive stamps
1954-1960
Definitive stamps of the Federal Republic of Germany bearing a portrait of President Theodor Heuss.
banknotes
Yugoslav Hyperinflation Dinar Notes, 1993–1994
1993–1994
Successive note series of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia issued during the hyperinflation of 1993 and 1994, culminating in extremely high denominations before currency reform.
banknotes
Zimbabwe 100 Trillion Dollar Note, 2008
2008
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe note for one hundred trillion dollars, the highest denomination of the 2008 hyperinflation series.