100 Dollars Sailing Ships

Antigua and Barbuda gained full independence on 1 November 1981, and this piece was issued to mark exactly that — a commemorative rather than a circulating note, which explains the silver-and-gold-foil construction entirely. Alan D'Estrehan, a local artist, was commissioned for the design, an unusual choice at a moment when most newly independent Caribbean states were still relying on British or American commercial printers for prestige items.

The .999 fine silver substrate laminated against 23-karat gold foil made these expensive to produce in small quantities and impractical to handle repeatedly — condition deterioration at the foil edges is a known and common issue with surviving examples.