Catalog
100 Dollars Sailing Ships
| Issuer | Government of Antigua & Barbuda |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
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| Designer(s) | Alan D'Estrehan |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette in bold relief illustrates Easton's pirate fleet raiding the Newfoundland coast, rendered in high-relief intaglio style on 23K gold foil. The denomination "100" appears in scalloped counters at each corner, with ornate guilloche borders framing the composition along the upper and lower edges. The legend "GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA" runs along the top panel, with "ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS" in a ruled cartouche at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 23K EASTON'S FLEET RAIDING ON NEWFOUNDLAND COAST ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS |
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| Comments |
This note belongs to the short-lived series of legal tender collector issues produced for several Eastern Caribbean states in the early 1980s, a period when small island governments were actively monetizing philatelic and numismatic interest as a revenue stream. Antigua and Barbuda had only achieved full independence in November 1981, and these silver foil notes were timed to capitalize on that moment — collector pieces dressed as currency rather than instruments intended for any float in circulation.
The .999 fine silver substrate laminated against 23-karat gold foil was a production technique associated with a handful of specialist printers courting newly independent Pacific and Caribbean nations at the time. D'Estrehan's designer credit appears on several issues from this wave.