Description and research notes
Replacement-star specimen of the 1981–85 100 Dollars note signed by H.R. Hardie as Chief Cashier, printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Company for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Serial YA 000000*, certified by PMG as Specimen with a single round punch-hole cancellation and no overprint or perforated markings. This internal specimen variant was reserved for in-house verification and production review, not for external distribution.
The note retains the full issued design: Queen Elizabeth II at right, Captain James Cook watermark, deep crimson intaglio engraving, and multitone guilloche background typical of Bradbury Wilkinson’s early-1980s craftsmanship. Replacement-star pieces were produced in minute quantity for printer control and are seldom seen.
PMG 55 About Uncirculated, exhibiting light handling from archival storage. One of only two known Hardie-era specimens with a single cancellation hole and no specimen wording whatsoever — a true internal reference note.