Description and research notes
Specimen of the issued 1970 type, overprinted SPECIMEN and cancelled with circular punches, serial A000000. This note defines De La Rue’s technical peak for Luxembourg: a finely cut intaglio portrait resting on offset color fields precisely matched for machine counting and extended circulation. PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated.
Historically it represents the practical side of the BLEU union—Luxembourg’s ability to issue national notes at full parity with Belgium yet maintain its own engraving plates and iconography. The 1970 series was printed in limited quantities, its design continuity directly feeding the abandoned 1982 emergency set. Collectors treat this specimen as the pivot point: it closes the first generation of shared-union artistry and prefaces the independent experiments that never reached the teller window. Survival is higher than the proofs but true mint-state examples such as this are uncommon, making it the control piece that ties the entire three-album set together.