Description and research notes
This Treasury Bill specimen was issued by the Government of Barbados under the authority of the Treasury Bills (Local) Act of 1922 and represents a non-circulating internal specimen retained for treasury control, audit reference, and archival purposes. The denomination of fifty thousand dollars places this bill among the highest-value Treasury Bills produced for Barbados.
While 50,000-dollar Treasury Bills are normally associated with prefix E, this specimen carries prefix F, documenting a distinct internal serial configuration used for this specific control issue.
The bill sets out an obligation payable to order out of the Consolidated Fund at any commercial bank in Barbados or at the Treasury. This legal wording reflects the post-bearer, standardized obligation language adopted prior to the fully uniform specimen formats of the 1980s. The place of issue, Bridgetown, is incorporated into the printed layout, anchoring the document within the formal administrative framework of Barbados.
The design consists of an engraved multicolour security layout framed by an ornate guilloche border, with a dense repeating underprint composed of the text “Government of Barbados” across the entire face. The denomination “$50,000” is printed prominently at lower left, with official signature titles for the Permanent Secretary, Finance, and the Accountant General appearing along the lower portion of the bill.
Across the central field of the bill, the word SPECIMEN is formed through a perforated dot-matrix pattern punched directly into the paper. This perforated SPECIMEN treatment differs materially from ink overprints and from circular punch-hole cancellations, indicating a distinct specimen-marking method used for internal control material.
The serial number printed on the face of the bill is F000000, consisting of a zero serial format with the prefix letter F. This prefix sequence is unique among known fifty-thousand-dollar Treasury Bill specimens and documents a separate internal serial configuration within the Treasury Bill production process.
Notably, the bill does not bear circular punch-hole cancellation marks through the body or signature area. Invalidation is effected solely through the perforated SPECIMEN marking, distinguishing this specimen from other Treasury Bills that rely on punch cancellation.
The upper margin of the bill carries extensive administrative annotations documenting internal handling and inventory control. These include quantity and serial-range notes recorded as “QTY. 500 Nos. F.1601 – F.2100”, reference numbers written in ink, and a clearly written date “6.6.75”. These annotations reflect treasury or printer-side recordkeeping activity and provide a firm chronological anchor for this specimen state.
This example survives in graded condition and represents a singularly configured Treasury Bill specimen combining high denomination, perforated SPECIMEN marking, zero serial format with prefix F, absence of punch-hole cancellation, and extensive contemporaneous administrative annotations. Taken together, these features define a unique specimen format within Barbados fiscal documentation.