100 Dollars Circle at right

Jamaica's 100-dollar denomination was introduced in 1986 as the highest value note in circulation at the time, a direct consequence of inflation eroding the purchasing power of the existing series. The Jamaican dollar had been under sustained pressure since the late 1970s, when IMF structural adjustment programs and a collapse in bauxite revenues pushed the economy into a prolonged squeeze — by the mid-1980s, a 100-dollar note was a practical necessity rather than a prestige denomination.

Thomas De La Rue's involvement with Jamaican currency printing dates back to independence-era issues, and the P#74 continues that relationship without interruption. The watermark security on this issue is notably modest by the standards De La Rue was applying to other clients at the same period.