Records of the striking of all leads were kept by De La Rue in special books known as “striking books”, which have since been broken up. Usually these pieces give the plate number and date of striking along with a cut down die-proof attached recording the die from which the leads were taken. Each entry refers to one “warrant”, i.e. an official instruction to make a plate or plates, hence the original books formed a record of every plate made, together with the striking of surplus leads for plate repairs (although an entry is not indicative of actual use).
Note: The dates written on the striking book pieces rarely include the year and in a few cases where they do it may be incorrect due to how the books were kept originally.
| Description | Image | History | |
| 1886 Feb 23-26 plates 1, 2, “2 formes” |  |
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1250 est. £70 realised £65; Robson Lowe 8th Sep. 1982 lot 1344 est.£60; ex Aureum | |
| 1886 May 6 plate 3 |  |
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1251 est. £70 realised £50; Ex Aureum | |
| 1886 May 14 Repairs, affixed to backing paper |  |
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1252 est. £40 (unsold)); Ex Jeffrey K. Weiss (Christie’s Robson Lowe Dec 1996, lot 31); Ex Aureum; Spink July 2017 lot 2499 sold £600 plus commission | |
| 1886 July 21-29 Plates 4-6, partly torn |  |
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1253 est. £40 realised £29); Grosvenor 19th Nov. 2007 lot 1395 realised £400+20%, ex Aureum (Stanley Gibbons 2016); SG Timed Auction Nov 2020 lot 354 sold £340+20% | |
| 1887 Aug 19, 22 plates 7, 8 |
|
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1254 est. £50 realised £36); Ex “Chartwell” (Spink 13th Oct 2011 lot 882 realised £700+20%), ex Aureum (Stanley Gibbons 2016) | |
| 1888 Jun 13 – Jul 20, plates 9-12 |  |
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1255 est. £60 realised £42); Phillips 16th Feb 1995 lot 263 est.£100-120; ex Aureum (Stanley Gibbons 2016) | |
| with 1d, Feb 1 1889 |  |
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1256 est. £170 realised £120); Dr Peter Young, Grosvenor April 2018 lot 793 realised £750 plus commission | |
| 1889 May 23,31, plates 13, 14 |  |
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1257 est. £50 (unsold)); | |
| 1889 Sep 17 Repairs |  |
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1258 est. £60 (unsold)); Grosvenor 25th Jan. 2007 lot 1523 realised £350+20%; Grosvenor Oct 2017 lot 1529 | |
| 1891 Nov 22-Jan 30 plates 19-24 |  |
Ex De La Rue archives (Robson Lowe 16th Dec 1976 lot 1259 est. £65 (unsold)); Ex Aureum (Stanley Gibbons 2016) | |
| 1893 Oct 20, 25 plates 25, 26 |  |
ex “Chartwell” (Spink 13th Oct 2011 lot 883 sold for £800+20%); ex Aureum | |
| 1894 Jul 26 Repairs |  |
Ex Jeffrey K. Weiss (Christie’s Robson Lowe Dec 1996, lot 32) | |
| Plates 27-30 (1895) |  |
ex “Chartwell” (Spink 13th Oct 2011 lot 884 sold for £800+20%), ex Aureum | |
| 1896 Apr 20 repairs |  |
Grosvenor Oct 2017 lot 1530 | |
| 1897 Feb 25 repairs | No Image | ||
| Plates 31-34 |  |
ex “Chartwell” (Spink 13th Oct 2011 lot 885 sold for £1’000+20%); ex Aureum | |
| Plates 35-40 |  |
Grosvenor Oct 2017 lot 1525 realised £320 plus commission | |
| Jun 9 – Sep 28 Plates 41-52 |  |
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| Plates 53-58 |  |
Ex “Chartwell” (Spink 13th Oct 2011 lot 886 sold for £1’000+20%) | |
| Plates 59-64 |  |
Ex “Besancon” part II, Corinphila lot 3264 | |
| Plates 65-70 |  |
Ex Ernest Good, Phillips 3rd Nov 1988 lot 5 sold for £230; ex Aureum |
The 1887 Jubilee Issue 