Over $2.6 Million in World Paper Money Sold in Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ Spring 2026 Maastricht Auction

Costa Mesa, CA Stack’s Bowers Galleries just wrapped up its two-session auction held in conjunction with the Maastricht MIF Money Fair. The sale offered 640 lots of World Paper that realized over $2.6 million. The event featured collections that have come to the public market for the first time, including the Bay of Bengal Collection of Ceylon, the My Canh Collection of French Indo-China, the Olive Sprig Collection of Palestine, the Collection of Kazmier Wysocki, the Tiber Collection of Italian Occupation Specimens, and more.

The first session, presented on May 6, included 63 lots from Palestine and realized $1,063,840. Lot 50001, the prefix A 1927 500 Mils, started the sale off with a bang at $67,100. Another record was shattered as the 1927 Prefix A 5 Pound in lot 50043 realized $91,500. Stack’s Bowers Galleries continued to challenge expectations as another 1927 Prefix A 10 Pound in lot 50053 realized $61,000 despite a VF 25 grade. The three highest priced lots in the sale were, as expected, lot 50061, the CU63 1927 50 Pound specimen that realized $140,300; the fully issued 1929 50 Pound VF30 example in lot 50062 that sold for $97,600; and the 100 Pound issued example in lot 50063 that brought $219,600 – a new record when factoring in the exchange rate when it last sold in 2022.

The firm’s Director of World Paper, Aris Maragoudakis, noted, “The Olive Sprig Collection was one of the most talked about collections this calendar year in the World Paper community, and we are honored that our consignor trusted us with this heavily sought-after collection.” When further pressed on the strategy for bringing a collection of this caliber to market, he added, “Our marketing team continued to lead the industry in creative ways that really helped propel this rare grouping of material, and the other prestigious collections in the sale, to the forefront of the collecting community. It has never been more important to not just rely on the collection doing the heavy lifting. Success in this market requires strategic planning, an open mind, and finding ways to cut through a saturated market and hold the attention of collectors. We pride ourselves in leaving no stone unturned when we are trusted to bring rarities to market.”

As the Bay of Bengal Collection crossed the block, rarities from early Ceylon in specimen form dazzled as they fetched over $200,000. The highlight of the offering, a 10,000 Rupees note from 1947, may have been talked about just as much as the 100 Pound note from Palestine. This iconic note was a key item for any serious Ceylon or British Commonwealth collector. Certified by PMG in Choice About Uncirculated 58, this iconic King George VI 10,000 Rupees realized $56,100 in lot 51113.

The My Canh Collection of French Indo-China was another carefully presented collection that came to market after being privately assembled and held for quite some time. “The My Canh of French Indo-China performed exceptionally well, and set new benchmarks for notes from French Colonies and Vietnam,” said Dennis Hengeveld, Director of Consignments and Senior Numismatist. This well-pedigreed collection featured many strong sale prices, including lot 51283, the ND (1948) 1000 Piastres specimen with regular serial number, believed to be unique and offered publicly for the first time in 45 years. “Its sale price of $36,600 is a new record for any note from French Indo-China at public auction and shows that rarities such as this continue to be in demand,” added Hengeveld.

Other highlights of the sale included:

Lot 50016 PALESTINE. Palestine Currency Board. 1 Pound, 1.9.1927. P-7a. Prefix B. PMG About Uncirculated 55 EPQ.

Lot 51055 BRADBURY, WILKINSON & COMPANY. Lot of (32) in Album. Mixed Banks. Mixed Denominations, Mixed Dates. P-Various. Color Trial Specimens. Uncirculated.

Lot 51111  CEYLON. Government of Ceylon. 1000 Rupees, 1.9.1941. P-39p. Proof. PMG About Uncirculated 55.

Lot 51464  POLAND. Bank Polski. 3 Rubel, 1843. P-A25. CM#A25a. PMG Choice Fine 15.

Lot 51469  POLAND. Bank Polski. 3 Rubel, 1865. P-A48. CM#A48b. PMG Choice Fine 15 Net. Repaired.

Lot 51575  WESTERN SAMOA. New Zealand Treasury. 5 Pounds, 21.12.1951. P-9b. PMG Very Fine 30.

Complete results for the Stack’s Bowers Galleries Spring 2026 Maastricht Auction are available at StacksBowers.com. The firm is currently accepting consignments for its Mid-Year Auction in July, the Summer Global Showcase (an official auctioneer partner of the ANA World’s Fair of Money) in August, and the October Hong Kong and Fall Maastricht sales. “It is going to be a very exciting second half of the calendar year for us as collectors look to capitalize on a thriving market. As always, we are here to help anyone navigate bringing their collection to auction, and we also work overtime to help our clients fill gaps in their collections,” added Maragoudakis. For more information, call 800-458-4646 or email Info@StacksBowers.com.

Stack's Bowers Galleries conducts live, internet, and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company's 90+ year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection, The Sydney F. Martin Collection and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few.

World coin and currency collections include The Pinnacle Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Salton Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, the Augustana Collection of gold rarities from across western Europe, the Richard Margolis Collection of world coins and medals, and The Thos. H. Law Collection. Recently, the firm was awarded the privilege of bringing the most valuable world coin collection to auction – the L. E. Bruun Collection.

Stack’s Bowers Galleries is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, which is also the location of Griffin Studios, the firm’s custom-built, broadcast-ready auction and event facility. In addition, the company has galleries in New York, Boston, Miami, and Philadelphia, as well as offices in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Paris, and Vancouver. Stack's Bowers Galleries hosts a Global Showcase each summer as an Event Auctioneer Partner of the ANA World’s Fair of Money, a sale that features United States coins and currency, Ancient coins and World coins and currency. They are also the Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic events, including the New York International Numismatic Convention, the Whitman Spring, Summer, and Winter Expos, the Spring and Fall Hong Kong shows, and the Maastricht Paper Money shows.