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 1985 printing. It was produced as a controlled reference specimen and permanently invalidated through a combination of overprint, printer-applied control stamps, and physical cancellation.
The defining invalidation features consist of a bold red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint across the face, accompanied by two red oval printer control stamps reading “SPECIMEN / DE LA RUE / NO VALUE.” These oval stamps are applied in the standard Thomas De La Rue format used to mark internally controlled specimen material. Their presence distinguishes this specimen from the classic red-overprint format and identifies it as a printer-managed control example rather than a presentation-only specimen.
A further, separate control measure is present as a single punch hole cancellation applied in the signature area. This physical voiding step is part of the same specimen-control logic as the stamps and overprint: it permanently disables monetary function while preserving the engraved design as a legible reference object.
At the lower left margin, a printed tracking panel reading SPECIMEN No. 024 is present, recording the internal control number assigned to this specimen. The serial format consists of an all-zero number sequence with prefix A/3, followed by the control number 024, a configuration never used on issued notes and reserved exclusively for specimen accounting within the De La Rue workflow.
The obverse preserves the complete finalized 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. Beneath the central panel appears the engraved signature of A. Jefferson, serving as Chairman of the Cayman Islands Currency Board at the time this specimen was prepared, confirming that the reference note reflects the fully authorized legal form of the currency despite its permanent invalidation.
The reverse continues the series’ marine-themed design language, featuring a reef vignette composed of coral formations and a prominent fish. Dense organic linework provides both aesthetic depth and anti-counterfeiting complexity, mirroring the issued series while remaining clearly segregated as specimen material through overprint, stamps, serial control, and punch cancellation.
Certified PMG 64, this specimen documents the De La Rue control-stamp specimen format used for Cayman Islands Currency Board notes. Its significance lies in recording a distinct specimen handling stage associated with the Jefferson-signed phase of the one dollar series, positioned between classic presentation specimens and terminal perforated archival control examples.