Clydesdale Bank Hits the Right Note for Charity

12th May 2015

A selection of the first fully polymer banknotes to enter circulation in Great Britain have gone under the hammer to raise almost £40,000 for charity.

A series of the highly sought after new £5 polymer banknotes from Clydesdale Bank were put on the auction block, achieving £38,717.25 to support the Bank’s charity partner, Hospice UK.

The Bank created auction lots featuring single £5 banknotes, as well as those grouped together and on uncut sheets, with a total face value of £860.  The lots included a range of unusual serial numbers to appeal to the banknote collectors market. 

The desirable serial numbers performed strongly with some going for several thousand pounds.  The £5 banknote with serial number 000001 received the highest bid of £5,200.

Clydesdale Bank, along with sister organisation Yorkshire Bank, has been working in partnership with Hospice UK for eight years and the money raised from the banknote auction will bring the Bank’s fundraising total to more than £4.1million to date.  

Debbie Crosbie, Acting CEO of Clydesdale Bank, said: “Clydesdale Bank has been issuing banknotes since 1838 and the new £5 note continues the Bank’s history of innovation.  It’s fantastic that the notes attracted considerable interest at auction, achieving hammer prices exceeding the auctioneers’ expectations, to raise much needed funds for Hospice UK.”

The new £5 banknotes, which are made of a more durable material than existing paper notes, combine images of the Forth Bridge with new security measures to create a unique design.  The limited edition commemorative note also features a portrait of prominent Scottish engineer Sir William Arrol, whose company was responsible for the construction of the Forth Bridge.

The new £5 note, which is smaller than existing notes of that denomination, was designed by De La Rue plc and, in a first for Europe, was manufactured on its innovative Safeguard® polymer substrate.