Matthew Boulton On The £50 Note

[Accumulator 52]

This must have been discussed before, but I've only just noticed that Matthew Boulton appears alongside James Watt on the rear of the (newer) £50 note!

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I thought I'd scan the back of a note and crop the image to post in this thread. Not so easy! The scan worked fine, but when I tried to open it in photoshop I got a message, "This application does not support the editing of banknote images". Clearly there's some clever image recognition going on in the software, so you'll have to look for yourselves!

[HistoricCoinage 147]

Just post me the £50 note and I'll take a look for you, Accumulator.

But yes, it's a nice note.

[Chris Perkins 228]

Had that problem before with scanning notes for books! These days the BofE put pics on their website and grant permission for them to be used in books as long as they are credited. So this year I saved £50!

I think if you scan it to disc and then open in the standard Microsoft Paint, it should work and allow you to edit it.

[azda 979]

If you send me one to look at AC i'd be very appreciative

[Paulus 1,975]

[Accumulator 52]

Clive, Dave.... In true eBay fashion, I'm happy to send the note. Postage will be a nominal £100.

Thanks Paulus! Considering Matthew Boulton is virtually unknown to the public, and there's been a big push to get females represented on our notes, he's done well! Personally I like the design.

[HistoricCoinage 147]

Clive, Dave.... In true eBay fashion, I'm happy to send the note. Postage will be a nominal £100.

[rpeddie 119]

anyone collect current circulation notes at all? just me maybe?

[Accumulator 52]

anyone collect current circulation notes at all? just me maybe?

It's strange, but for some reason coin and banknote collectors seem to be entirely different species. Not sure why, but I've never considered collecting notes.

[scottishmoney 38]

For the paste 40+ years England has done a wonderful job of printing notes with references to non-political historical figures. I'd like to get this note sometime.

[Peckris 579]

anyone collect current circulation notes at all? just me maybe?

It's strange, but for some reason coin and banknote collectors seem to be entirely different species. Not sure why, but I've never considered collecting notes.

Yet Coin News features them. I don't think it's right to say none of us is ever tempted to have a few notes? I've got the 'lion and key / Britannia' fiver (very handsome), plus a ten bob, a few one pounds, and a few blue fivers including a replacement note - and I'd sooner have those than medieval hammered!!

[Accumulator 52]

anyone collect current circulation notes at all? just me maybe?

It's strange, but for some reason coin and banknote collectors seem to be entirely different species. Not sure why, but I've never considered collecting notes.

Yet Coin News features them. I don't think it's right to say none of us is ever tempted to have a few notes? I've got the 'lion and key / Britannia' fiver (very handsome), plus a ten bob, a few one pounds, and a few blue fivers including a replacement note - and I'd sooner have those than medieval hammered!!

I actually do have a couple of old ten bob and pound notes too, though I've never really considered them part of any collection. They certainly bring back memories of the 'good old days'!

[Sword 1,499]

anyone collect current circulation notes at all? just me maybe?

It's strange, but for some reason coin and banknote collectors seem to be entirely different species. Not sure why, but I've never considered collecting notes.

Yet Coin News features them. I don't think it's right to say none of us is ever tempted to have a few notes? I've got the 'lion and key / Britannia' fiver (very handsome), plus a ten bob, a few one pounds, and a few blue fivers including a replacement note - and I'd sooner have those than medieval hammered!!

I actually do have a couple of old ten bob and pound notes too, though I've never really considered them part of any collection. They certainly bring back memories of the 'good old days'!

I don't collect notes but brought an error £20 a few years back out of curiosity. The front design (queen) is also printed over the reverse. I have it framed up and it is a nice talking point with visitors.

The said £50 has got a very nice design. Is it the first time that 2 people are commenorated on the same note? £50 note is a strange denomination and I don't believe I have spent one in the last 10 years. The denomination is a bit too big for everyday transactions and we all use plastics for big purchases. However, with the impact of inflation, it might be in common use before long!

[Peter 615]

I've gone for 10 bob notes and £1 notes.

Replacement notes are the collectable ones.

I started out with an unopened wage envelope from 1940 it had 2 10 shilling notes.

I also have an album of cheques.....sad bugger I am.

[scottishmoney 38]

Yet Coin News features them. I don't think it's right to say none of us is ever tempted to have a few notes? I've got the 'lion and key / Britannia' fiver (very handsome), plus a ten bob, a few one pounds, and a few blue fivers including a replacement note - and I'd sooner have those than medieval hammered!!

The Lion and Key is a classic English note:

And a lovely Britannia:

[Coinery 1,169]

That's a lovely note SM, what date is it? What would a mint one of those cost today?

[Rob 3,160]

That's a lovely note SM, what date is it? What would a mint one of those cost today?

Under £100. It was in circulation 1957-63, so not particularly old. Obviously some serial numbers/replacements go for more, but a bog standard one is very affordable in any grade.

[Peckris 579]

Yet Coin News features them. I don't think it's right to say none of us is ever tempted to have a few notes? I've got the 'lion and key / Britannia' fiver (very handsome), plus a ten bob, a few one pounds, and a few blue fivers including a replacement note - and I'd sooner have those than medieval hammered!!

The Lion and Key is a classic English note:

And a lovely Britannia:

Thanks for that. Yes, I treasure mine. It's sobering to think they were circulating when I was a little boy, but I don't ever remember seeing one (but then, why would I!). My earliest 'fiver' memory is of the blue fivers that came immediately after these. Though why they replaced such a beautiful design...

[scottishmoney 38]

Five quid was a decent amount of dosh then. The design wasn't carried on to the smaller note, by then BoE decided to put HRH on the fiver - which really was a shame. British banks, particularly those in England had a tradition of sorts of NOT having a portrait or even cipher of the monarch on notes as a bit of a superstition - a couple of Scottish banks didn't follow such beliefs - and failed spectacularly - City of Glasgow bank was one in 1878 that had had small portraits of Queen Victoria on their notes.

A similar pattern followed in British North America - the banks like Westmoreland Bank that had portraits of Queen Victoria bought the farm - the only exception to the rule was Bank of Toronto which kept portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on their notes into the late 1930s.

[Accumulator 52]

Thanks for that. Yes, I treasure mine. It's sobering to think they were circulating when I was a little boy, but I don't ever remember seeing one (but then, why would I!). My earliest 'fiver' memory is of the blue fivers that came immediately after these. Though why they replaced such a beautiful design...

I must be almost the same vintage. These fivers were around, but no reason why a 5 year old would notice them. I recall that the toy of my dreams was the famous Johnny Seven gun. Of course I never had one, but these monster contraptions were still under a pound, which was a huge amount then!

Back to fivers, I certainly remember the later blue version.