RARE £5 FROM THE BANK OF ENGLAND’S BRANCH IN LEEDS IS EXPECTED TO FETCH £16,000 AT AUCTION IN OCTOBER at NOONANS

An exceptionally rare Bank of England £5 note that was issued in Leeds is expected to fetch £12,000-£16,000 when offered in a sale of British and Irish Banknotes at Noonans on Thursday, October 12, 2023. Dated July 12, 1900, it is signed by Horace G. Bowen who was Chief Cashier at the Bank of England from 1893 to 1902.

As Andrew Pattison, Head of Banknote Department at Noonans commented: “This is a great note. Very few Bowen notes are in private hands especially from this exceptionally rare Leeds branch. The York hand stamp shows part of the journey of the note, issued in Leeds and paid into a bank at some point in York.”

He continued: “This note was sold by Sir David Kirch as part of his collection a decade ago when it was sold to the current owner, who is a major collector of notes from all over the United Kingdom.” 

“This is not the first Leeds note that Noonans has sold. An extremely rare £500 note dated 1936 was sold for a hammer price of £24,000 in March of this year.”

The sale will include several rare Bank of England notes. Also from Leeds is a very rare £5 note signed by Matthew Marshall who was Chief Cashier of the Bank of England between 1835 and 1864 and is dated 28 July 1862. It is expected to fetch £10,000-£15,000.

Others include an excessively rare £50 note also signed by Matthew Marshall dated 6 October 1845. This high denomination note is estimated at £15,000-20,000. A very early £2 note signed by Abraham Newland, who was Chief Cashier of the Bank of England between 1782 and 1807 and dated 20 November 1798, carries an estimate of £12,000-16,000.