SURINAME – 500 GULDEN, 1991
PICK 140 – DE LA RUE COLOUR-DESIGN WORKING PROOF
“CLC 500 COLOUR COPY”

An original De La Rue colour-design and security-pattern working proof produced during the development of the Suriname 500 Gulden banknote dated 9 July 1991.

The related issued banknote was produced for the Centrale Bank van Suriname and is listed as Pick No. 140. Its design features the Central Bank building and an oil pump on the obverse, with a toucan, tropical vegetation, oil-drilling activity and the national coat of arms on the reverse.

This unusual production piece is headed “CLC 500 Colour Copy” and compares two alternative orientations of a repeating “500” security pattern:

• “Vertical Mode”
• “Horizontal Mode”

Both versions combine the pale yellow repeating-denomination background with selected elements from the banknote design, including portions of the toucan, tropical vegetation, ornamental borders and denomination lettering. Magenta reference areas and other colour components are also visible.

The proof appears to have been prepared to evaluate the positioning, orientation and visual interaction of the security pattern with the surrounding banknote artwork before final production.

The upper-right corner bears the printed reference number “83”. A round control or cancellation hole is present in the upper-left area. The reverse is unprinted.

Details:

• Country: Suriname
• Issuing institution: Centrale Bank van Suriname
• Denomination represented: 500 Gulden
• Date of related banknote: 9 July 1991
• Catalogue reference: Pick 140
• Printer: Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited, London
• Type: Colour-design working proof / security-pattern orientation study
• Printer’s heading: “CLC 500 Colour Copy”
• Modes represented: Vertical Mode and Horizontal Mode
• Printed reference number: 83
• Colours: Yellow, magenta, grey-black and pale violet
• Approx. complete size: 14.5 × 6.9 cm (5.71 × 2.72 inches)
• Round printer’s control or cancellation hole
• Reverse unprinted
• Not a complete banknote
• No serial number or signature
• Not legal tender and without monetary value

Condition:

The piece shows light age-related and production-related handling or storage marks, including minor surface marks, slight edge wear and a few small spots. A round control or cancellation hole is present near the upper-left corner and forms part of the printer’s original archival treatment.

The printed colours and fine security-pattern details remain clear and well preserved. Please examine both photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.

A rare and highly informative piece of original De La Rue banknote-development material. Unlike an issued note or conventional specimen, this working proof documents the experimental design process used to compare alternative orientations of an intricate denomination-based security pattern.

Ideal for collectors of Suriname paper money, De La Rue material, colour trials, banknote essays, printer’s archives and security-printing history.

The item shown in the photographs is the exact item you will receive.