10 dollars 1970

Common. While this is an attractive early series note from 1970, market data indicates healthy supply at all grades. Recent eBay sales show typical VF examples selling in the $26-$36 range (2020), with UNC examples catalogued at $95 (2019), suggesting adequate availability. The print run for this regular issue denomination was sufficient to make it readily obtainable in all conditions. The absence of premium pricing or scarcity reports confirms common status.

Issued on 6th February 1970 under the authority of the Bermuda Legislature, this note represents the island's transition toward greater monetary autonomy while still honoring Queen Elizabeth II as the reigning monarch. The reverse design prominently features the Bermuda petrel (cahow), an endemic seabird of significant cultural importance that had been brought back from the brink of extinction, alongside a romanticized coastal landscape reflecting Bermuda's maritime heritage and tourism-based economy. This early series demonstrates Bermuda's distinctive identity within the Commonwealth while maintaining traditional British numismatic conventions of the era.

The obverse features a formal three-quarter portrait of Queen Elizabeth II positioned on the right, rendered in classical Commonwealth banknote style, with her characteristic pearls and elegant formal attire. The center displays the Bermuda coat of arms (heraldic shield with lion and supporting elements), flanked by ornamental rosette designs containing denomination numerals. Decorative pink hibiscus flowers and scrollwork frame the design, while fine line engraving patterns create visual depth throughout. The reverse depicts a coastal maritime landscape with colonial-era waterfront buildings on the left, while the central focus is a Bermuda petrel (cahow) rendered in flight, a symbol of national ecological significance. Ornamental rosettes, radiating line patterns, and intricate scrollwork complement the landscape vignette, with the design using predominantly purple, beige, cream, and pink tones enhanced by green accents and gray shading.

FRONT SIDE: 'BERMUDA GOVERNMENT' (issuing authority); '$10' and 'TEN DOLLARS' (denomination); '6TH FEBRUARY 1970' (issue date); 'A 098277' (serial number); 'ISSUED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE BERMUDA LEGISLATURE' (legal authority); 'MEMBER OF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FOR FINANCE' (official title); 'CHAIRMAN BERMUDA MONETARY AUTHORITY' (official title). BACK SIDE: 'BERMUDA GOVERNMENT' (issuing authority); '$10' and 'TEN DOLLARS' (denomination). All text in English.

This note was produced using traditional intaglio engraving (line engraving/copperplate), a security printing technique evident from the fine detail, crisp line work, and complex scrollwork patterns visible throughout both sides. The intricate portraiture, radiating line backgrounds, and delicate floral engraving are characteristic of high-security intaglio production. The note was likely printed by a specialist Commonwealth security printer, though specific attribution requires consultation of production records.

This note corresponds to PMG Pick catalogue P-25a with watermark: Tuna Fish. The observed serial number prefix 'A 098277' indicates a note from the early portion of this regular series. No overprints, color varieties, or significant signature variations have been noted for this Pick number in standard catalogues. This represents the standard 1970 variety of the P-25 denomination.