A British £5 note has undergone lots of changes over the years. Nowadays, we are all familiar with the polymer £5 that fits easily into the wallet, purse and pocket.I think many people are taken by suprise when they see a white fiver (£5 note). White £5 notes were legal tender till 1961. Nowadays, a… Read more »

Some banknotes are washed to imrove their grading. Most sellers avoid this practice but sometimes you can buy a washed note as the seller is not aware what has happened. Washed banknotes are a bit like thicker paper and have a very different ‘feel’. Some sellers can be unscrupulous so it is important to ask… Read more »

Errors are things we want to eradicate in our working lives but in the case of B ritish and World banknotes, errors are very collectible items indeed. Banknote errors are found in paper, print and numbers. There are some spectacular paper errors with ‘fishtails’ and folds. Some banknotes have dry runs with faded images or… Read more »

I was an avid British banknote collector for many years and still buy to build up my own collection. Having surplus notes led me to sell them on ebay (faffa2793) and now I have my own British Banknotes website. Does this make me a dealer, a banknote dealer running a business? Does being a dealer… Read more »

Banknotes and social change go hand in hand. An example is Tibetan currency. Bank notes were introduced into Tibet in 1913. Prior to this, coins were the currency (and bartering) dating back to the 1600s. The banknotes – Tam – were printed with a clear red seal of the Dalai Lama and the black seal… Read more »

When I started collecting banknotes some years ago I had no idea of bank note grading, Bank of England Cashiers, First Runs, Banknote Errors, Debden Sets and World Banknotes. There is no doubt that Pam West’s ‘English Paper Money’ (EPM) has to be the vademecum, the essential companion for all British Banknote Collectors. At £20… Read more »

Sometimes people come across a collection of old British or world banknotes that belonged to a relative who has died or moved into a Home. An Executor or the person with the Power of Attorney may wonder what to do with them. I know some just put them in the bin as part of a… Read more »

Over the years, Royal Mail has offered a good service with only an occasional item not reaching the destination. However, these past weeks three items have been ‘lost’. One package contained Mahon and Catterns 10/- – high value. Never arrived even though the banknotes had been sent by ‘signed for’ mail. Compensation was £50 but… Read more »

The note measures 240mmx120mm. It is much larger than the notes in our wallets and purses. The design of the promotional notes is exquisite and detailed. The image of William Caxton and his press illustrates the history of printing and its connection with Thomas de la Rue’s banknote history. This note was published in 1990… Read more »

Collecting banknotes can lead a person on to ‘the path less travelled’. Debden Sets begain in 1990 and ended in 2002. They were limited edition banknotes with speical serial numbers, crowns, coins and with values from around £40 upwards. The C168 Debden set is rare. The on offer must be the rarest (or near so)… Read more »