irishpapermoney.com

Bank of Ireland 1922 £20, £50, £100 notes have been known since the 1970s. However, images of these notes have not been available until recently. They have now been added to the web site for all to see, with the kind permission of Bank of Ireland.


Bank of Ireland £50, 1922, Series H


Bank of Ireland £100, 1922, Series H

Some items of great significance turning up
I always wondered what these note looked like.
Do you think it is possible that the high denomination notes were issued?

I'd guess that they were possibly printed and numbered with the Hinton signature in small quantities, as some were overprinted in ca1927 for possible use in the Irish Free State. (The overprinted notes were all destroyed unissued).

I don't know if any of the normal £20, £50, or £100 notes entered circulation, but they would have been around for a few years prior to the overprinting, so maybe.

BoI Ploughman notes of these denominations circulated in tiny quantities, so these may also have had a small usage.
It would be nice to find one in a book!

Here is the £20,


Bank of Ireland 20 pounds 1922

I do wonder who on earth would possess such large denominations. Auctioneers? Cattle dealers? Lawyers? Real Estate Agents? Landlords?

Cattle dealers did use £20 notes in significant quantities,and the occasional £50 note. The notes would circulate on fair days.

Here is an intriguing newspaper article published in 1930. It describes Bank of Ireland £5 and £20 forgeries dated 1923 with the signature of W.H. Baskin ! It seems to support the idea that the bank issued the orange coloured £20 notes in the early 1920’s?

DOC wrote: ↑23 Nov 2021 20:16 It seems to support the idea that the bank issued the orange coloured £20 notes in the early 1920’s?

We know from Currency Commission records that the £20, £50, and £100 notes were printed, this would indeed suggest that at least the £20 notes were issued. Another piece of the puzzle!

Old specimen Bank of Ireland letter of credit from 1938.