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The British banknote set to sell for up to £12,000!
Tomorrow on 28th October a Victorian £5 Banknote is set to sell at auction catalogued at up to £12,000! Now you might be wondering how an old piece of paper could be worth such an extortionate price. Well, even though it is over 150 years old, the banknote is in pristine condition – almost as if it has come straight from the Victorian Cashier who issued it himself!
The £5 Banknote, dated for the 28th December 1863 is a representation of the height of the industrial period and the advances made in Victorian Britain. In fact the design and printing technology was so advanced that the exact design was used up until 1956! You see, British Banknotes have an incredible history that is often overlooked in the collecting world…
The First UK Banknote
In 1694 King William III was at war with France, and as is often the case with warfare, the financial state of the nation was put under pressure. And so the Bank of England was established. One of its main jobs was to issue banknotes in return for deposits of gold or silver. It’s thought that the first banknote ever issued was one for £1000! But seeing as most people’s wages were less than £20 a year in those days, most people never saw a banknote.
Each banknote was handwritten on bank paper addressed to the payee, and signed by a cashier to authenticate it –sort of like a modern day cheque. This is a tradition that continues today as each banknote is issued with the Chief Cashier’s signature.
“I promise to pay the barer on demand the sum of five pounds”
Before 1853 banknotes were completely handwritten, but the innovation of the Victorian period meant that templates for banknotes could be printed. Therefore cashiers no longer had to sign each note individually. The words “I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of Five pounds” were introduced to link the notes to a physical gold value. In theory, anyone could go to the bank and ask them to give them £5 worth of gold in exchange for a £5 banknote, although the meaning has changed today, the tradition remains on the banknotes.
Emergency Wartime issues
During the First World War, gold was preserved by the government and gold coins in circulation had to be withdrawn. To replace these coins, the Bank of England needed to make a large supply of £1 and 10/- notes available, but the haste at which these were produced meant that there were huge security problems. The notes were too small for cashiers to handle and they had very few anti-counterfeiting measures, but the notes themselves played a vital role in keeping the economy going.
The Second World War Nazi threat
During World War Two, the British government found out about a Nazi plot to introduced thousands of fake banknotes to destabilise British currency. However the Bank of England took emergency action and changed the colour of some of the notes for the duration of the war. The Nazi’s could not match the high levels of security features on the British banknotes and their plans failed.
Polymer banknotes
Today historic banknotes are harder and harder to get hold of, especially the ones in good condition, and those that are will often sell for thousands of pounds. Few have seen the earlier banknotes, and a small number of us remember using pre-decimal or war time banknotes in our childhoods. This is largely because the paper design which made them more susceptible to damage, so many have been lost over time. The new polymer banknotes first issued in 2016 marked a monumental change in numismatic history, bringing new technology and innovation to our pockets.
If you’re interested
Today you have the chance to own a limited edition pair of Emergency Wartime Banknote reproductions, each struck from 5g of FINE SILVER.
The Emergency Banknotes each carry a fascinating story, and your Silver versions come complete in a presentation folder telling the full story of how these banknotes helped Britain win the war.
JUST 100 of these special FINE SILVER banknotes pairs are available, so click here to order yours now, before it’s too late >>
Introducing the brand new Star Trek stamps! Boldly collect where no UK collector has collected before!
With the arrival of a new season of Star Trek: Discovery this month, and the brand new series Picard which launched earlier this year, there’s a lot for Star Trek fans to celebrate this year.
And now – in what you might say is the final frontier of stamp collecting – fans can get their hands on a brand new official Royal Mail stamp release comprising of some of the franchise’s most famous faces.
The stamps are officially released on November 13th, 2020, but you can shop our full range here and pre-order yours whilst stocks last. There are strict edition limits across our product range, so be quick if you’d like to secure yours.
Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, the Star Trek franchise began 54 years ago and has amassed a huge, global fanbase. It is a cultural phenomenon that’s influence spans across many generations of devoted fans, creating a global community unlike any other.
Often praised for its impact on storytelling and its influence on modern-day technology, fans and scholars alike consider Star Trek to be highly progressive in its approach to social and political issues, offering the viewer a reflective view on historic and current affairs.
This culturally significant franchise has now been celebrated for the very first time on UK stamps.
“For more than 50 years Star Trek has enthralled and inspired generations of loyal fans with extraordinary adventures and an optimistic vision of humanity’s future.
We celebrate the Star Trek Universe with stylish new stamps of its iconic characters.”
Philip Parker, Royal Mail
There are several ways to own these new issue stamps, with each stamp presentation framed and ready to display, and will be officially postmarked by Royal Mail on the day of the stamps release.
Here’s your guide to each of the products available and how you can be one of the limited number of collectors to own one of these limited edition pieces…
The Star Trek Collectors Frame
The Star Trek Collectors Frame features Royal Mail’s Collector Sheet, and only 1,995 framed editions are available worldwide.
These stamps bring together captains from six Star Trek TV series, including Captains Kirk, Picard, and Archer. Each of the stamps featured is accompanied by an Officially Licenced Philatelic Label featuring scenes from the corresponding series.
Your Collector Sheet is A4 in size and is set against a dramatic space scene – perfect for displaying in your home!
Click here to pre-order one of the 1,995 Star Trek Collectors Frames now >>>
The Star Trek Definitive Frame
Collect every Royal Mail Star Trek Stamp issue with The Star Trek Definitive Frame! This framed presentation features 12 Star Trek First Class Stamps , alongside the Movie Stamp Miniature Sheet.
These 12 brand new stamps feature every captain, alongside other famous crew members from across the six principal TV series. Each character is set against a themed backdrop inspired by the series they are from.
As well as these new issue stamps, The Star Trek Definitive Frame also includes the Movie Stamp Miniature Sheet, which showcases British stars from the Star Trek movie series.
Your frame is A4 in size and ready to display. But with only 995 available worldwide, you’ll have to be quick to snap this up for your collection.
Click here to pre-order one of the 995 Star Trek Definitive Frames now >>>
The Star Trek Ultimate Frame
While this is the first time Star Trek has featured on any UK stamp issue, it’s not the first time the franchise has been celebrated on commemorative stamps! To honour the 50th anniversary in 2016, a range of Star Trek stamps was issued in the United States.
As of last year, the stamps are no longer available to buy from the US Postal Service, but you can find a selection of these stamps within The Star Trek Ultimate Frame.
This really is the ultimate Star Trek stamp presentation, featuring every UK stamp issue alongside the no longer available US Star Trek Forever stamps.
Available in an A4 frame, there are only 295 of this very special stamp presentation available worldwide.
Click here to pre-order one of the 295 Star Trek Ultimate Frames now >>>
Remember, all framed editions of the Star Trek stamps are strictly limited. Shop the full range here to pre-order and secure yours ahead of their official release on November 13th.
Tales from The Tower’s maximum security Mint – where making coins was a dangerous business
A symbol of royal power for nearly 1,000 years, the Tower of London remains one of Britain’s most iconic attractions.
But did you know that for over 500 years The Tower of London housed The Royal Mint?
It’s safe to say that during The Royal Mint’s time in The Tower, making coins was hot, noisy and dangerous affair. So much so that tampering with coins was considered treason, and the threat of gruesome punishment alone was enough to deter most, if not all, forgers and thieves.
For me, there’s no coin stories as fascinating as the ones that originate from The Royal Mint’s time a at The Tower. Here’s a selection of my very favourite ones…
Health and Safety was not a concern
In stark comparison to the society we live in today, the health and safety of Mint workers was not a top priority during the Mint’s time in The Tower.
Mechanisation in the 1600’s was welcome relief for Mint workers, as up until this point, all coins were made by hand. As a result, it wasn’t unusual for workers to be injured, and the loss of fingers and eyes was not uncommon.
When it came to striking the coins, split second timing and staying alert could mean the difference between making a coin and losing a finger! That’s because in order to strike a coin, one worker would place a handmade piece of metal between two engraved stamps – called dies – and a second worker would then strike it with a hammer. This procedure would stamp the coin design on to the metal, but if both parties were not on the ball sometimes a finger would be removed in the process.
Even then, it actually wasn’t until screw-operated presses were introduced in the 1700’s that life for Mint workers became relatively safe.
Dirty, deadly money
Working in the Mint was dirty and dangerous work. Huge furnaces were used to melt down precious metal, and the air was full of deadly chemicals and poisonous gases. This made the coin making process a real hazard.
In the 1560’s a group of unfortunate German workers learned this the hard way. Several of them were suspected to have been poisoned by clouds of noxious gas, and they fell incredibly ill. Seasoned workers at the Mint advised them of the cure – to drink milk from a human skull! Despite the so called ‘cure’, several men died.
The mysterious case of Sleeping Beauty
Several decades prior to this, in the 1540’s, William Foxley was another victim of the Mint’s lax health and safety. Though how exactly, still no one to this day knows for sure! Foxley was a potter at the Mint, and one day he fell asleep over his pots and no one could wake him up.
It’s unclear what exactly caused Foxley’s coma, and allegedly King Henry VIII himself swung by The Tower to check out the mysterious sleeping beauty. For the majority of the British population, the only way they knew what their monarch looked like was thanks to the obverse of the coin. So Foxley will have been disappointed to have slept through his audience with the King.
This case perplexed physicians for 14 days, after which Foxley woke up and was the picture of perfect health. Remarkably he lived for another 40 years.
Tampering with coins was considered treason
Treason was not taken lightly. In fact any tampering with coins, such as shaving silver from the edge of a coin to steal it, was classed as treason and the severe punishments that awaited thieves and forgers was nearly enough in most instances to put them off.
During medieval times, the sentence for a first-time convicted counterfeiter was to remove their right hand. Any second offences were punishable by castration. It’s unknown exactly what followed this particularly gruesome punishment for a third or even a fourth offence.
But if you think this is severe, in later years and right up until the 1700’s male forgers suffered a traitor’s death – that is to be hung, drawn and quartered. Meanwhile, female forgers were either burned at the stake or transported on one of the infamous convict ships to their designated place of exile.
If you’re interested…
The Royal Mint has just released a BRAND NEW UK £5 coin to celebrate its longstanding and fascinating history with The Tower of London.
The coin is available in a range of specifications, including Brilliant Uncirculated and extremely limited edition Silver Proof and Silver Proof Piedfort. Given the historical significance of this commemorative, it is expected to be highly sought-after by serious collectors now and in years to come. That said, we do not expect to be able to offer it for long.