1 pound 1976 specimen

common. The P-6s specimen variant is a standard specimen note issue from 1976. Specimen notes were routinely produced and distributed to banks, governments, and institutions for reference purposes. The circulation of specimen copies was broad and systematic, and surviving examples are readily available in the collector market. No evidence suggests limited production runs or special rarity for this Pick number.

Issued in 1976 during the reign of Elizabeth II, this note reflects Saint Helena's status as a British Overseas Territory with its own currency authority. The Latin inscription 'AUSPICIO REGIS ET SENATUS ANGLIAE' (Under the auspices of the King and Senate of England) references the historical colonial relationship, while the heraldic lions and maritime imagery—including the detailed sailing ship on the reverse—evoke Saint Helena's strategic importance as a naval outpost and its dependence on sea trade during this period.

The obverse features a formal portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in profile facing left, wearing official regalia with decorative shoulder insignia and earrings, positioned on the right side of the note. The upper left depicts a detailed historical landscape of Saint Helena's coastal fortifications and maritime installations with sailing vessels, rendered in the fine engraved style typical of 1970s banknote production. The reverse displays the Royal coat of arms with two heraldic lions as supporters holding flags and shields, accompanied by an ornamental crest. A multi-masted sailing ship appears on the right side of the reverse in detailed engraved style. Both sides feature intricate decorative borders with fine line patterns and ornamental flourishes at corners, characteristic of high-security banknote design. The denomination (£1) is marked with pound sterling symbols on both sides.

FRONT: 'Government of St.Helena' — Government of St.Helena; 'ONE POUND' — One Pound; 'Promise to pay bearer on demand the sum of' — Standard currency promise clause; 'CURRENCY COMMISSIONERS' — Currency issuing authority; Serial number 'A 000000' — Specimen numbering; 'SPECIMEN' — Specimen overprint marking. BACK: 'AUSPICIO REGIS ET SENATUS ANGLIAE' — Under the auspices of the King and Senate of England (Latin heraldic motto); 'SPECIMEN' — Specimen overprint marking.

Intaglio (engraved) printing on banknote paper, utilizing multiple engraved steel plates for the detailed portraiture, heraldic elements, and security line-work patterns. The fine detail visible in the portrait, coat of arms, maritime scenes, and decorative borders indicates master engraving work typical of British banknote production standards of the 1970s. Security features include intricate line pattern borders and fine engraved details throughout. The printer for Saint Helena notes of this period was typically a British security printer, likely the De La Rue Company or Bradbury Wilkinson, standard suppliers to British Overseas Territories.

This note is identified as Pick P-6s, the specimen variety of the 1976 one pound note. PMG catalogs three variants for this base Pick number: P-6a (standard issue), P-6p (presentation variant), and P-6s (specimen variant, this note). The specimen designation is confirmed by the large red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint visible on both obverse and reverse. The serial number shown (A 000000) is typical of specimen notes and confirms this is not a circulating example. A notable catalog remark indicates that this 1976 issue contains an incorrect Latin spelling ('ANGLIAE' misspelled), which was corrected in the later P-9 issue—this example appears consistent with the 1976 spelling error documentation.