PREVIEW: BRITISH AND IRISH BANKNOTES: 8 JULY

The Ploughman Notes are as iconic in their design as they are in their historical significance. Introduced in 1929 under the Currency Commission of Ireland, they acted as a visual reminder of partition as they replaced the all-Ireland General Issue notes.

Their date of issue was an even keener reminder of the creation of the new state: 6 May 1929 marked the formal partition of the currency itself between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland.

The Consolidated Bank Notes replaced a variety of designs with just one across all six denominations, from £1 to £100 – the easiest way to distinguish them at a glance was by the colour.

They also remained promissory notes rather than legal tender.

Once the Central Bank of Ireland was created in the early 1940s, the Currency Commission disbanded and its notes gradually fell out of use over the following decade, and they were finally withdrawn officially at the end of 1953.

Extant examples across all denominations remain in the low thousands at most, with around a tenth of those being the £10 note.

Noonans’ July 8 auction of British and Irish Banknotes offers a notable set of three of these notes – a £10, £5 and £1. Each carries the serial number 000001 and the Brennan and Stanley signatures.

The only other example of a Royal Bank £10 on the PMG population report is a 25 – this one is a 55 – “a fantastic banknote in scarcely believable condition,” says Noonans’ Head of Banknotes, Andrew Pattison. It is estimated at £8,000-10,000.

The £5 is in PMG holder 53 – “a truly wonderful note in fabulous condition, extremely rare in any grade” – and rare than the £10 with a mere 15 or so examples extant. “An astonishing ‘true first’ serial number 1 as well, and one of the finest Irish banknotes you are ever likely to see,” says Andrew Pattison. It has a guide of £6,000-7,000.

The £1 is in PMG holder 55 and another astonishing note in unbelievable grade, with the nearest equivalent note on the PMG population report being a 20. It carries hopes of £4,000-5,000.

Three memorable notes with outstanding pedigrees, this is an opportunity to capture the trio in a single sale.