PREVIEW: BRITISH & IRISH BANKNOTES: 25 MARCH

How popular are British and Irish Banknotes among collectors? Well Noonans auctioned around 2,600 lots of them last year to the value of more than £1 million.

This first outing in 2026 promises more exceptional white notes from the Bank of England, but also an unusually strong catalogue of provincial notes, in this case from Chertsey, Basingstoke, Leicester, and Sudbury among others. To cap it all is a wonderful Fox, Fowler & Co. £5; the final Provincial banknote type ever issued before the company merged with Lloyds in 1921, after which the Bank of England became the sole issuer.

The leading highlight is Bank of England, Horace G. Bowen £10, issued in London, and dated 21 June 1895. With one small stain, but otherwise fresh and original, and good very fine, this is nothing short of spectacular in terms of both condition and rarity, with no London issues known above this denomination. The estimate is £22,000-26,000.

A Bank of England £5, with the manuscript signature of Matthew Marshall and issued in Birmingham, is dated 26 April 1856. It is split and rejoined with ‘official banknote tape’ pinholes, one area of ink burn, and minor annotations, but it is original paper, and believed to be the only example of this note in private hands, hence the guide of £18,000-22,000.

The CANCELLED note for Fox, Fowler & Co was a £5, dated 1 March 1921, and issued in Wellington, Somerset. With the serial number 26964, and Fox signature, it has slightly ragged edges, but is toned, fine and extremely rare. It is pitched at £1,000-1,500.

Among the Provincial banknotes is a £5 issued by Godley Bank, of Chertsey, Surrey, for Willats & Co., £5. Dated 17 November 1834, and with serial number 1533a and the Willats signature, it has a superb vignette showing the signing of Magna Carta at upper centre – Runnymede is not far distant from Chertsey. Original fine and very rare, it is estimated at £500-700.

Three early forgeries make for fascinating viewing.

The first is a contemporary forgery of a Thomas Rippon Bank of England London £5 dated 14 April 1832. With the serial number 2067, it has been split and rejoined, and carries several FORGED stamps and annotations, as well as a small paper note attached at upper left. Very good and rare, it should fetch £300-400.

The second is a Royal Bank of Scotland, £1 with forged signatures, dated 5 April 1859. With serial number 247/392, it is printed on un-watermarked paper, and carries the tale of its history in a hand-written note in red to the reverse that reads: ‘This note is a forgery. It was printed. from an obsolete plate stolen from the Bank’s engraver in 1859’ and ‘This is a pound I got from my mother’. It is expected to sell for £300-400.

The final forgery included in this auction has the words Believed to be a forgery written across the front in red ink. Guided at £120-180, it is a contemporary forgery of a Bank of England London £5, dated 23 September 1879 and issued under Frank May.

Pick of the Irish notes is a spectacular Bank of Ireland £1 issued in Newry, Dublin, and Armagh on 3 June 1831. It has legendary status, having been known almost certainly to exist, but without ever being seen... until now. With a manuscript signature at centre, multiple pinholes, and some minor ink annotations on both sides, it is in overall an original very good to about fine condition and estimated at £8,000-10,000.