Article
1 December 2021
An extremely rare Bank of Ireland specimen £20 ‘Ploughman’ banknote sold for £52,800* - 16 times its pre-sale estimate - at Dix Noonan Webb in their auction of British, Irish and World Banknotes on Thursday, November 25, 2021 at their Mayfair saleroom (16 Bolton Street, London W1J 8BQ). Dating from 1929, it was from the first part of the collection of the late Gus Mac Amhlaigh of Dublin, and had been estimated at £2,600-3,200 [lot 291].
As Andrew Pattison, Head of Banknote Department at Dix Noonan Webb, explained: “This beautiful ‘Ploughman’ specimen £20 is the first to appear at auction in many years, and attracted a huge amount of interest. Bank records show beyond doubt that all issued £20 notes were redeemed and destroyed, which means specimens like this one are the only way collectors are able to acquire one. Two very serious Irish collectors, both based abroad, evidently felt that this was going to be very difficult to acquire another example, and despite a modest estimate of £2,600-£3,200, the hammer came down at an almighty £42,000 (£52,800 including BP).”
Other highlights of the sale included a Bank of England £5 note issued in Newcastle on Tyne - one of only two known examples in private hands which sold for £16,120. Dated 15 July 1889, this rare and fine note was estimated to fetch £8,000-12,000 and was bought by a collector of English banknotes [lot 99]. While a very scarce £500 Bank of England note from Liverpool, which is signed by Kenneth O. Peppiatt, and dated from 30 September 1936 sold for £13,640 to a general banknote collector based outside of the UK [lot 121].
Elsewhere, an incredibly rare Libya specimen 1000 Lire Military Authority example from Tripolitania dating from 1943 and in superb condition sold for £11,160 a collector of world banknotes. This was the first time a specimen of this note has come for auction for almost a decade [lot 765].
***PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL PRICES INCLUDE 24% BUYERS’ PREMIUM***
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