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Auction: 25009 - World and British Banknotes Featuring the Cassia and Cedar Collections
Lot: 152

(x) Government of British Honduras, $1, 1st May 1924, serial number A 010098A,
The Last Serial Number of the 1 Dollar issued on the 1st of May 1924,

The paper money of British Honduras has its origins in the late 19th century, with the first issues appearing as early as 1894. A more regular series was then introduced from 1895 to 1920, forming the foundation of the colony's note circulation for a quarter of a century. The present design, introduced in 1924, was conceived as a replacement for that earlier series. While the overall layout remained similar, subtle changes were made, most notably in the colour schemes and in the printer's imprint that appears at the lower centre of the front.

This $1 note, dated 1st May 1924, represents the first date of the new type, which would later be reissued with a different set of signatures in October 1928. It carries the signatures of Max Smith, Gerald Stanley Wells Smith, and Sydney Cuthbert, who at the time served as the Commissioners of Currency. According to the Banknote Book, the serial number A 010098A is the last recorded number for this date, placing this note at the very end of the first recorded sequence of the type.

Certified by PMG as Very Fine 20, the note's technical grade should not obscure its importance. This is a type that is extraordinarily difficult to encounter in any condition, and survival is limited. Between the two dates of this issue, only eight notes in total have been certified by PMG. Of these, just two examples are known in a better grade than the present piece-a PMG 25 and a PMG 30-making VF 30 the highest certified to date. The scarcity is underlined by the fact that even the Banknote Book lists valuations only up to the Very Good range, without offering prices for higher grades, reflecting just how seldom these notes are available.

Notes of this type were heavily used in circulation, and the tropical climate of British Honduras only compounded the difficulties of preservation. Today, survivors in any state are seldom encountered, and each example that appears provides a rare opportunity to secure a tangible link to the colonial history of what is now Belize.

(Pick 14, BNB B113a), in PMG holder 20 Very Fine, erasures

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Sold for
£2,600

Starting price
£1000