Series B 100 Pound, Granuaile design?

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m_ok
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Re: Series B 100 Pound, Granuaile design?

Post by m_ok »

A die proof engraver's test strike of B series £100 sold for £2,200 at a UK auction house this week.

Catalogue states
"An extremely rare Central Bank of Ireland partial banknote die proof engraver's test strike of the obverse of a Series B one hundred pounds note, in pale red and blue with design elements of two ships, values to lower left and upper right corners, lacking the portrait vignette of Grace O'Malley which was changed during the note's design process, on paper/card, the reverse blank (extremely fine). Note: the Series B one hundred pounds note was never put into circulation, owing to a number of disagreements about design and to concerns that it would facilitate the illegal movement of cash. Provenance: from the personal archive of the late Alan Dow, master banknote engraver to Bradbury Wilkinson & Co and the Bank of England."

Also a group of seven test strike portrait vignettes of Grace O'Malley sold for £850.
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callahiljo
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Re: Series B 100 Pound, Granuaile design?

Post by callahiljo »

Very strong prices but possibly unique material. You just never know what printers and engravers tuck away!
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Mac
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Re: Series B 100 Pound, Granuaile design?

Post by Mac »

Toovey's auctions were the sellers.

Interesting. This design is the version which used the petition as a background on the note. This was decided against as many of the names were in English, and the overall theme of the Series B notes was that the face of the notes would be entirely in Irish.

This test print is also interesting in that it uses elements of the £50 note to make up the main text of denomination in words - 'Caoga Punt' is printed along the left side :) Several other versions of the design of the Series B 100 Pound note are known from the Central Bank of Ireland archives.

Many of the elements of the design were revised in later work, including the removal of the signatures in the background, to be replaced by a poem about Grace O'Malley.

We may see some of the vignettes appearing for sale in the near future.
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