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50 Dollars - De La Rue Test Note
| Issuer | De La Rue |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of two lumberjacks operating a two-man crosscut saw against a large tree trunk, rendered in intaglio-style multicolour engraving. Large outlined numeral "50" occupies the lower left, with a guilloche-style underprint element within the zero. The De La Rue logo in an oval cartouche appears at upper right, with "NOT LEGAL TENDER" at upper left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | NOT LEGAL TENDER De La Rue 50 FIFTY |
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| Comments |
De La Rue test notes were produced internally to trial new paper stocks, security features, inks, or printing processes — not for any issuing authority and never intended for circulation. This particular piece exists as a manufacturer's proof of concept, the kind of material that circulated only within the Grosvenor Street works and was routinely destroyed after evaluation. Survivors reached collectors almost exclusively through former employees or the occasional archive disposal.
The $50 denomination and dollar sign were likely chosen to simulate a high-value tropical currency contract — De La Rue held numerous such agreements across the Commonwealth and Caribbean throughout the mid-to-late twentieth century.