Lot 06740

1 Pound (1.3.1957) in brown on multicolor unpt. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at right and map at lower right on face. S/N: “A/21 198459”. Such banknotes were printed in a range of six prefixes A/21 to A/26 in a total of 1,5 million pieces (250000 of each prefix) but they were never put into circulation as there were sufficient notes in circulation already and Cyprus was moving towards to the establishment of the Republic. Thus the whole 1957 issue was decided to be burnt. However, some members of the Board Committe took a small number of them to keep as souvenirs and a few of them actually used the notes for normal transactions. All known surviving notes bear the prefix A/21 and it is estimated that no more than 15 such notes exist today. WMK: Eagle head. Inside holder by PMG “Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ”. (Pick 35a). According to the known  records this note has the highest certification grade ever to be in an auction so far!