Description and research notes
This specimen note represents the one dollar denomination prepared for the Cayman Islands Currency Board under the Cayman Islands Currency Law of 1974 and was printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited, with the PMG label attributing the production to a not dated 1981 printing. The note was never intended for circulation and instead functioned as terminal archival reference material within the printer and issuing authority control framework.
The defining feature of this specimen is a large dot-matrix perforation reading “SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE” applied across the face of the note. This form of invalidation represents a permanent and irreversible cancellation method, distinct from inked overprints or control stamps. Perforated specimen invalidation was used by De La Rue as a final archival control state, ensuring that the note could not re-enter monetary circulation while remaining fully legible as a reference document.
The obverse preserves the complete production design of the issued one dollar note, including the engraved portrait of Queen Elizabeth the Second at right and the central denomination panel incorporating the Cayman Islands coat of arms. The serial format consists of an all-zero number sequence with prefix A/3, a configuration reserved exclusively for specimen handling and never used on issued notes. The engraved signature of V. G. Johnson, serving as Chairman of the Cayman Islands Currency Board at the time, situates this specimen within an earlier administrative phase of the 1974 series despite its later printing date.
Along the lower margin, handwritten printer annotations are present and correspond to production or archival handling notes made during the specimen’s retention within Thomas De La Rue’s internal reference system. These annotations, cited directly on the PMG label, authenticate the note as printer-handled material rather than a later altered circulation example.
The reverse continues the series’ marine-themed design language, featuring a reef vignette composed of coral formations and a prominent fish. The dense organic linework serves both aesthetic and anti-counterfeiting functions and mirrors the design logic of the issued series while remaining clearly segregated as non-monetary through perforation and serial control.
Certified PMG 65 Exceptional Paper Quality, this specimen retains strong paper integrity and clear print surfaces. Its significance lies not in grade or market classification, but in its documentation of the final control stage applied to Cayman Islands Currency Board specimen material under the Johnson-signed phase of the one dollar series, preserving direct evidence of late twentieth-century security printing and archival practices.