British, Irish and World Banknotes

Bank of England, Leslie K. O’Brien, £5, housed in a blue leather presentation wallet, 21 February 1957, serial number A01 000003, Britannia at left, Saint George slaying the dragon at low centre, reverse blue, lion and key at centre, paper slightly wavy and with minor toning along top margin, a few insignificant knocks in left and right margins, but a wonderfully embossed about uncirculated to uncirculated note. The wallet has a few scuffs, and the clear plastic has yellowed somewhat with age, but is in excellent overall condition.
EPM B277 £18,000-£22,000

This spectacular and timeless design, known by many collectors as either the the ‘lion and key fiver’ or the ‘Britannia fiver’, was the first significant change of design for the £5 note since the introduction of the denomination in the late 1700s. The design, conceived by Stephen Gooden, was issued for only six years, although it remained legal tender for a further four.

This note, serial number A01 000003, was originally presented to the recently elected Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, in 1957. Serial numbers one and two are held in the Royal Collection, having been presented to The Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh.

This important note is therefore the lowest serial number note available to commerce and arguably the finest post-war Bank of England note in the public domain. Along with the subsequent lot in this auction, this is the first time that a serial number three note, for a new design, has ever been offered on the open market.