..Scotland, Bank of Scotland - £100 Polymer Note 2022 (and £50 Dated 2020 Polymer - Matching Serial Numbers)

Scotland

(Alba)

Bank of Scotland Limited
(Established 17.07.1695, First bank to issue banknote in Scotland)
Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

 

This is the fifth and the final of the polymer banknote series for Bank of Scotland, first introduced in 2016. This note was introduced on 05.05.2022. At the time of this writing, the Bank of Scotland is the only commercial bank that has issued the polymer series in full set. The other issuing banks, like the Clydesdale Bank have issued up to £20 polymer note, whilst The Royal Bank of Scotland have released a £50 polymer note. 

As this is the first of the polymer series with the denomination of £100, and unlike all the previous issued polymer notes, which were all related to the Bridge series, the design on the back for this new note is dedicated to Dr Flora Murray, who was a physician. However, on the website of the Bank of Scotland, this polymer note is still referred to the Bridge series, but no bridge can be found on the design of the note, both front and back. The last paper note for the £100 featured the design of the Kessok bridge.

This is the first polymer banknote issued with the denomination of £100 in the United Kingdom. It would be interesting to find out why the Bank of Scotland decided to issue the £100 note, whilst all other banks, including the Bank of England have not? Even in Northern Ireland, only the Ulster Bank have only released a £50 polymer note so far. The Bank of Scotland have the history of printing £100 banknotes since 1894, but with modern technology whereby many transactions are now done via EFTPOS, one would expect the demand for such high denomination may not be as high as before, and as such, less would be required. It would be interesting to see the next reprint for this note. The colour of this polymer £100 note is printed predominately in green, instead of red like the previous cotton based paper £100 notes.

 

You must be wondering why so far, only the FM prefix notes for this denomination are available for sale. The bank has also printed this denomination with the AA first prefix, but only released 93 pieces for sale via Spink Auction. Based on the auction, solid notes with numbers like AA 111111, AA 222222, AA 333333 etc were also sold. Therefore, one would assume that this series is printed with both AA and FM prefixes in full, unless those AA prefix were specifically printed for the charity auction purpose. Time will tell if we get to see the AA prefix notes with the same date are released for circulation. 

 

This note honored Dr Flora Murray with her name in initials FM prefix.

 

One Hundred Pounds 154mm x 82mm

 

Sir Walter Alva Scott (b.1771-1832) Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright, and historian, Bank of Scotland Headquarters on The Mound

 

Front - The portrait of Sir Walter Alva Scott (b.1771-1832), who was a Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright, and historian. In the middle is the Bank of Scotland Headquarters on The Mound, a man-made slope situated in central Edinburgh which connects Edinburgh’s New and Old Towns. Ten tiny see-through windows are also incorporated on the design of the building, just like those polymer banknotes issued previously. On top of the bank's headquarters is an image of the Four Thistles, and on the bottom is the bank's crest. On the left of the note is the holographic foil stripe featuring the Mound and blow with the image of Dr Flora Murray. This note is printed with her initials - 'FM'.

 

Signatures

Chief Executive Officer Lloyds Banking Group - Charlie Alan Nunn (since August 2021)

Governor - Robin Francis Budenberg (since January 2021)

Printer - De La Rue

Dimensions - 154mm x 82mm

 

This is the first note bearing the CEO's signature of Charlie Alan Nunn, replacing Antonio Mota de Sousa Horta-Osorio, whose signatures appeared on Bank of Scotland's banknotes (paper and polymer) issued since 2011.

 

Back - The portrait of Dr Flora Murray (b.1869-1923). On her portrait, it has printed with the words - Scottish medical Pioneer; and them followed by her name and her birth year and the year she died. Dr Murray was a physician, and died in 1923 at the age of 54. In 2023, it would be the 100th year of her death. Dr Murray was the suffragette and medical pioneer who helped and care for many wounded soldiers during the first World War. This note is dedicated to her work in medicine and in women's right. The portrait on this note was painted by Francis Edgar Dodd, who was a portrait painter, landscape artist and print maker. On the left of the note is an image of female stretcher-bearers outside Endell Street Military Hospital in Convent Garden, central London. This hospital was opened in May 1915, and was a First World War military hospital, and was closed in December 1919 and later demolished.

 

Dr Flora Murray (b.1869-1923)

Fifty Pounds

Sir Walter Alva Scott (b.1771-1832) Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright, and historian, Bank of Scotland Headquarters on The Mound

Please click on the link here to view my previous post for this £50 dated 2020 polymer note.

Falkirk Wheel built in 1875, two horses pulling a canal barge, two large kelpies

Footnote:

On 05.05.2022, Spink of London auctioned off 93 x £100 banknotes with AA and FM prefixes, plus two sheets of 40-in-1, with a total lots of 188. The single notes are mainly those with low serial numbers from the first note to #50, and then followed by other numbers, fancy and solid notes. The first note with AA 000001 was sold for £17,000 plus buyer's commission of 20% plus VAT. The first note for the FM prefix, FM 000001 was sold for only £4,800.