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30 Dollars Playful singer of the deep
| Issuer | Government of Antigua & Barbuda |
|---|---|
| Year | 1981 |
| Type | Souvenir banknote |
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| Obverse description | Gold foil note issued on a dark substrate to commemorate Antigua and Barbuda's independence of November 1981, with the central vignette rendered in relief showing a coastal island landscape with sea and sky. The national coat of arms appears in an oval medallion at the left border, while a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II occupies a corresponding oval at the right; denomination numerals '30' are set in guilloche roundels at each corner. A facsimile signature of the Minister of Finance appears at the lower centre, above the denomination legend 'THIRTY DOLLARS' in a cartouche framed by ornamental floral scrollwork. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse, also executed in embossed gold foil on a dark ground, carries a central vignette of two Humpback Whales rendered in fine relief, surrounded by shoals of small fish, conveying the animals in their natural marine environment. Denomination numerals '30' appear in guilloche roundels at all four corners, flanked by embossed laurel-branch borders running the full height of each side panel. The issuer inscription 'GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA & BARBUDA' runs along the top margin, with 'THIRTY DOLLARS' in a ruled cartouche at the lower centre, accompanied by decorative scrollwork. |
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| Comments |
Antigua & Barbuda gained independence on 1 November 1981, and this $30 gold foil note was among the commemorative issues tied directly to that event — a denomination with no practical monetary function, produced purely for the philatelic and numismatic market. The "Playful singer of the deep" epithet almost certainly references the humpback whale, a species with documented presence in the waters around the Leeward Islands and known for its complex vocalizations.
Gold foil notes of this type were a minor industry in newly independent Caribbean states during the early 1980s, typically manufactured by specialist firms with no connection to the territory's actual central banking infrastructure.