Description and research notes
Large-format Treasury Bill specimen produced under the provisions of the 1922 Treasury Bills (Local) Act, printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. during the 1980s.
Denominated at an extraordinary fifty thousand dollars, this fiscal instrument was designed for short-term institutional financing rather than public circulation. The layout features the Barbados coat of arms at center, the printed signature of the Accountant General, and a bold diagonal SPECIMEN overprint in red with serial E000000. A vivid multicolor underprint repeats the text 'Government of Barbados' across the surface, combining aesthetic precision with strict anti-counterfeit intent.
Such Treasury Bills served as official short-term debt obligations of the government, usually issued in limited form for interbank or foreign reserve operations. They occupy a hybrid space between fiscal paper and currency, bridging the fields of numismatics and financial history.
Specimens of this denomination were distributed only to archives and printers as reference pieces. Few survive today, making them highly desirable to collectors of Caribbean fiscal paper and those interested in high-denomination security printing from the late 20th century.