Description and research notes
This specimen represents the official pre-issue specimen of the Central Bank of Libya 10 Dinars note introduced in 1971, the first high-denomination issue of the Libyan Arab Republic following the abolition of the monarchy. Bearing the red SPECIMEN overprint and zero control serials, the note documents the final approved design state immediately before full circulation printing commenced.
Specimen banknotes occupy a distinct position within the currency production and distribution process. They were not proofs and not intended for public circulation, but were produced after final plate approval to serve administrative and operational purposes. Copies were distributed to central bank departments, government ministries, regional bank branches, and international correspondents to standardize cash handling, verify security features, and familiarize staff with the new design prior to release.
This specimen captures the precise point at which the engraving, underprint palette, and security architecture were formally locked for production. The portrait of Omar al-Mukhtar—engraved with deep-bite intaglio and dense cross-hatching—is fully integrated with the surrounding guilloche network and multitone background fields. Unlike earlier color trials or vignette proofs, no experimental elements remain; all visual and technical decisions have been finalized.
The adoption of Omar al-Mukhtar as the principal portrait marked a deliberate ideological shift in Libyan currency. His image replaced dynastic and monarchical iconography with a revolutionary and anti-colonial symbol, aligning the nation’s monetary design with the political identity of the post-1969 state. This specimen therefore represents not only a production milestone but a definitive expression of the new regime’s visual language.
The note was printed using established high-security intaglio techniques, with carefully balanced ink relief to preserve portrait detail under circulation conditions while maintaining durability at production speed. Multi-stone underprints provide tonal depth and counterfeit resistance, consistent with international security printing standards of the period.
This example is graded PMG 58 EPQ Choice About Uncirculated and is recorded as the only graded specimen for Pick 37s. While issued notes of Pick 37 survive in quantity, specimen examples were produced in extremely limited numbers and were typically withdrawn or destroyed once distribution and training purposes were fulfilled.
At the time of cataloging, no second specimen of the 1971 10 Dinars issue is documented in grading census data, auction archives, institutional collections, or reference literature. Its rarity derives from production-stage scarcity rather than condition, and its significance lies in documenting the final transition from design approval to monetary circulation.
As such, this piece stands as a museum-grade reference artifact within Libyan numismatics, completing the production sequence from master vignette and color trials to issued currency. It preserves the moment when political symbolism, engraving execution, and monetary authority were unified into a finalized national banknote.