The note carries serial number D000000 in dual placement and is overprinted SPECIMEN in red across the face. Two circular punch holes are present across the central field, consistent with specimen handling and cancellation practices.
The obverse features the engraved portrait of Grand Duke Jean, positioned within an intricate multicolor guilloche structure composed of layered geometric forms in green, orange, and brown tones. The denomination CINQUANTE FRANCS is prominently centered, with the issuing authority LA CAISSE GÉNÉRALE DE L'ÉTAT printed below. Serial number D813992 appears in red at upper left and lower right, consistent with standard production layout.
The portrait depicts Artigas in restrained neoclassical profile, engraved with finely controlled line work and tightly structured cross-hatching. The treatment reflects British security engraving practice of the early twentieth century, emphasizing anatomical precision, tonal balance, and institutional authority rather than heroic or romanticized interpretation.
The cheque is completed in dark fountain-pen ink for the amount of eighty-five Egyptian pounds, written in both numeric form and longhand across the center. The handwriting reflects period commercial script-slanted cursive with looped capitals and steady line pressure-typical of trained bank clerks in the British-influenced financial offices of Cairo. The date '23rd March 1921' is entered in matching ink at upper right. Across the center, a firm red NOT NEGOTIABLE overprint spans the entire instrument, applied heavily enough to leave a slight embossing into the paper fibers, ensuring the cheque could only be cleared internally and not endorsed to a third party.
