Description and research notes
Specimen Treasury Bill issued by the Government of Barbados under the authority of the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922, prepared for internal reference, accounting control, and archival retention rather than circulation or fiscal settlement.
The document carries a printed denomination of one hundred thousand dollars and defines an obligation payable out of the Consolidated Fund at any commercial bank in Barbados or at the Treasury. The place of issue is identified as Bridgetown, confirming its role within the central administrative framework of the Barbadian state.
This specimen displays the alphanumeric prefix F followed by a four-digit zero serial format (F0000). Prefix-bearing zero serial formats were used for specimen material retained outside live issuance ranges and document internal reference configurations within the Treasury Bill production process.
Unlike other specimen formats within the Barbados Treasury Bill series, this example does not bear punch-hole cancellation, perforated cancellation text, or specimen overprint. The absence of these features distinguishes this piece as a separate specimen handling state within the broader specimen framework.
Across the central portion of the note appears a printed serial range reference reading F1001–F1500. This printed range denotes an internal numbering allocation associated with production or accounting control and is distinct from the primary specimen serial printed at upper left.
Along the upper margin, handwritten administrative annotations are present, including a numerical reference and a clearly written date reading 4.6.71. These annotations record internal handling or review activity and provide a firm chronological anchor for this specimen’s use within treasury or printer workflow.
The design is executed on a dense multicolour security underprint composed of repeated Government of Barbados text, serving issuer identification and anti-counterfeiting purposes. An engraved guilloche border encloses the layout, reflecting established British fiscal security printing practices of the period.
This example is preserved in a Paper Money Guaranty holder and graded 62 Uncirculated, confirming its technical state of preservation while retaining all original administrative markings. Specimen Treasury Bills of this denomination and configuration are extremely rare, and examples combining zero serial prefix F, printed internal serial range, dated handwritten annotations, and absence of cancellation represent a distinct and seldom-encountered variant within Barbados fiscal material.