REVIEW: BRITISH & IRISH BANKNOTES: 26 JUNE

Bidders agreed with Noonans’ Head of Banknotes Andrew Pattison when he singled out four exceptional Bank of England notes prior to this sale. In fact, they proved even more enthusiastic, taking them beyond their combined high hopes of £96,000 to £108,000.

At the forefront was an extremely rare £100 banknote from the Liverpool branch of the Bank of England dating from 1855 that went over estimate at £32,000. Signed by Matthew Marshall, who was Chief Cashier from 1835-64, it was printed on superb original paper quality and was a high denomination for this cashier – equivalent to around £13,500 in today’s values.

A specimen £1,000 note dated 7 September 1922 and signed by Chief Cashier Ernest M. Harvey had the serial number 08/Q 00000 and was in extremely fine condition, With only one Harvey £1000 issued note recorded, this was a rare bidding opportunity indeed, and the £18,000-20,000 estimate was left far behind with the hammer falling at £28,000.

Another Liverpool note also stood out. This was a £10 note dated 23 December 1882 and signed by Frank May, who served as Chief Cashier for 20 years from 1873. In very fine condition and described as “staggeringly rare”, it had been estimated at £15,000-20,000 but sold for £26,000.

Abraham Newland (c.1730-1807) was Chief Cashier from 1782 until the year he died and is one of the most celebrated holders of the post – banknotes even being referred to as ‘Abraham Newlands’ because without his signature they were non-negotiable. 

A £10 Newland note, dated, 4 April 1789, with the serial number 8135, was a rare survivor indeed, especially in such fine condition, and it duly attracted a mid-estimate bid of £22,000.