Banknotes from the Adil Karouni Collection

Adil Karouni

I first met Adil in the early 1980’s. My first impression of him was that here is a serious man who had a passion for English banknotes. Adil was Lebanese and I often wondered why a Lebanese collector would want to put together one of the finest collections of English currency ever assembled. I think that his affection for his adopted country found an ideal outlet in collecting as he did. I know that by the time I first met Adil he had already purchased a few banknotes and he arrived in my office to talk about sourcing material. By coincidence, we had at that time just purchased a wonderful collection from which he purchased many pieces, including several of the iconic £1000 notes. Adil was a fiercely competitive collector, if we had five of a note he wanted five, and he was also a hard man to refuse. Rather against my intentions, he bought all the £1000 notes I had. Within a few years Adil had put together one of the finest collections of English currency extant at the time. At this time, he actually happened to be the owner of every single single one of the aforementioned £1000 notes on the market. It should be noted at this time the upper end of the English market was very niche and Adil took the very brave decision to expand his collection into a comparatively underdeveloped market. Many years later I catalogued Adils collection for auction and the results fully justified his choice of hobby.

Adil was always a pleasure to see, his knowledge of the notes was most impressive and he always had a keen eye for quality, he also had a wry and somewhat dry sense of humour, woe betide you if you showed him a note he wanted but that you couldn’t offer to him. I recall very clearly showing him an excessively rare £200 note, bizarrely found in a chimney in Russia. The note was on my desk and he simply picked it up and walked straight out of the door asking me to send the invoice! He was also a fair but tough negotiator. I would often visit him in Knightsbridge with some recent finds, enjoy a coffee and friendly bartering session with him and his close friend and advisor, Mike O’Grady.

His other collection passion was the banknotes of the Lebanon, a complete contrast to the rather more austere notes of the Bank of England. I know both fields were close to his heart. I remember attending a Christies sale many decades ago with a fine selection of Lebanese banknotes included. When I offered to bid on his behalf he just told me to buy them. I asked for a guide as to price and he fixed me with his serious face and said ‘just buy them’. I did so, and some of these notes are in the catalogue you see today.

Adil was one of a kind. A true gentleman collector, unfailingly courteous and knowledgeable. He will be sorely missed by his many friends in the hobby and I know that we were both privileged to know him.

Barnaby and Mike