DALLAS, TX.- A rare Egyptian bank note thought by some to bring prosperity will find a new home with a lucky bidder after it is sold in Heritage’s Oct. 16 World Paper Money Signature® Auction — a 500-lot event that features strong offerings of Netherlands Indies and Surinamese notes, as well as a bounty of choice material from numerous other countries, including the Netherlands, Panama, Curacao and Canada.

The Egypt National Bank of Egypt 1 Pound 5.1.1899 Pick 2b PMG Choice Very Fine 35 features two camels in its obverse vignette. This note is exceedingly rare in high grades, and the example offered in this auction is the finest among just 23 in the PMG Population Report.

“The iconography of the two camels on the 1899 1 Pound is quintessentially Egyptian,” says Dustin Johnston, Senior Vice President of Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. “This note was favored by Egyptians as a token of prosperity in the household that owns one, rumored to be sought after because of the parable of the 17 camels. This story intrigues me, and here we have the finest third-party graded example on offer.”

Also offered in the auction is a beautiful Zanzibar Government 10 Rupees 1.1.1908 Pick 3 PMG Very Fine 20 Net. Paper currency of the Zanzibar government remains among the most desirable of all world paper money. The 10 Rupees is the third denomination of the series, issued between 1908 and December 1935. On New Year’s Day of 1936, Zanzibar notes were replaced by East African Currency Board notes, and gradually these beautiful notes were withdrawn from circulation. All denominations have the same design elements and different sizes and colors. PMG has graded just 10 examples of this denomination, across the three known dates: 1908, 1916 and 1928.

One of the most visually striking notes in the auction is a British Guiana Government of British Guiana 10 Dollars 1.1.1942 Pick 15 PMG Extremely Fine 40 that is a famed rarity, especially in any good collector grade. The 1942 series of Government notes included denominations of 1-100 Dollars. The three highest denominations, which include this offering, are very rare to extremely rare and are coveted by collectors worldwide.

“This is one of the finest British Guiana notes we have laid eyes on,” Johnston says. “When the note arrived at our headquarters, it was met with admiration from the experts in our department. It narrowly missed an EPQ designation, but is problem-free and stunning, easily one of my favorite notes in the auction.”

A Lebanon Banque de Syrie et du Liban 100 Livres 1945 Pick 53s Specimen PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ like the one offered in this auction is a beautiful treasure for any collector, especially when it is in the best of collector grades. This note is nicknamed the “Magic Carpet” note due to the incredible design on each side, created through extremely detailed engraving. The example offered here is a Specimen, but there are no other cancellations of any kind, making it a fully finished banknote, but just with solid zero serial numbers. This example is tied with one other for the finest grade in the PMG Population Report for Specimen of this type.

A vibrant Panama Banco Central de Emision 20 Balboas 1941 Pick 25s Specimen PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ is one of nine lots in the auction from The Albert Field Hamilton Bank Note Co. Collection. The issue of 1941 is arguably the country’s most famous series of banknotes issued in the 20th century; four denominations were printed by the Hamilton Bank Note Company of New York, but each was issued by banks for just seven days, after which the unissued stock was destroyed. This Specimen represents the highest denomination of the short-lived series. In addition, the process of withdrawing the notes actually issued into circulation was successful, as most were exchanged for USD and then destroyed as well. PMG has graded 14 issued examples, including just nine Specimen. This example is tied with two others for the finest grade in the PMG Population Report.

Throughout history, wars have caused shortages of both coins and currency, especially in small or remote locales, making a Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony 1 Pound 1.1.1942 Pick 5 PMG Choice Extremely Fine 45 that is the finest graded among just three examples of this incredible World War II issue in the PMG Population Report a rare treasure in the collecting community. The Gilbert and Ellice Island Colony, present day Kiribati and Tuvalu, experienced a shortage of coinage and paper money in 1941, and created an emergency series of notes in denominations of 1 Shilling, 2 Shillings, 10 Shillings and 1 Pound — a decision prompted by a lack of funds to pay workers of the Pacific Phosphate Company. The simplicity of these notes caused some hesitation, but when the public realized this was the only form of currency in the remote islands, they were accepted.

A magnificent Belgian Congo Banque du Congo Belge, Kinshasa 1000 Francs 3.11.1920 Pick 12b PMG Extremely Fine 40 is a magnificent example of the nation’s currency that always has drawn ample interest from the collecting community, thanks to its incredible designs, tropical locale and rarity in the best of collector grades. This 1000 Francs was the highest denomination of the first full series of banknotes printed for and issued in the Belgian Congo, which includes notes from 5 Francs to 1000 Francs, and the offered example is one of only two Kinshasa-issue 1000 Francs of this type graded in the PMG Population Report. Adding to its rarity and the corresponding interest among collectors, PMG has not graded any 1000 Francs of this design from any other city of issue.

Verkooijen Collection

The 500-lot auction includes 90 lots of bank notes from a collection that traces the arc from the sailing era’s trading companies to 20th-century Caribbean banking. The assemblage features notes from locales that once were part of the global Dutch influence, including strong offerings of Netherlands Indies and Surinamese notes, as well as a bounty of choice material from numerous other countries like the Netherlands, Panama, Curacao and Canada.

“Mathis Verkooijen was a dedicated collector. Having lived just miles from the Maastricht Paper Money Show, he had access to some of the best notes in the hobby,” Johnston says. “He spared no expense chasing after Dutch and Dutch Colonial notes in half a century of collecting. The Dutch notes offered by Heritage in 2025 have represented a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Dutch paper collectors.”

Among the top lots in the collection is a somewhat improbable Suriname General Netherlands Society 1/2 Gulden 1.10.1826 Pick 1 PLS3.1a PMG About Uncirculated 50 that is the first and only Half Gulden graded in the PMG Population Report. The issuer was active in Suriname from 1826-1829, after which it was replaced by the Suriname-West Indian Bank. Part of the demand stems from the red “SURINAME” stamp on the front of the note, which also features written notations on the back that only add to its character and intrigue. This important South American, Dutch Colonial 19th-century note is extremely rare, or perhaps even unique. That it survives in such condition — it is the only example in the PMG Population Report — makes it a reference specimen for the type.

From the same collection comes an exceptionally rare and fully issued Suriname Surinaamsche Bank 50 Gulden 1.7.1901 (1903) Pick 55g PMG Very Fine 30 that is the first and only issued example graded in the PMG Population Report for any known date of issue. The serial numbers for the series were cumulative, making this the 21,077th note of the denomination issued since 1865. This note is among the scarcest banknotes ever offered at Heritage.

One of the rarest and most important Caribbean banknotes ever offered at Heritage, a Curacao Curacaosche Bank 500 Gulden 25.11.1954 Pick 44 PLNA15.7 PMG Very Fine 30 from the Verkooijen Collection is the finest and only graded 500 Gulden of 1954. Curacao banknotes of the 1940s and 1950s are surprisingly rare in issued format, with the higher denominations being very rare to nearly impossible to obtain. This 500 Gulden was the highest denomination of the series, and one of just 2,000 that were printed and issued — and of those, nearly all were withdrawn or redeemed in the 1960s. The offered example is the first and only example graded in the PMG Population Report.