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In December 1971 the Central Bank of Ireland announced its intention to introduce a new series of Legal Tender Notes. The new series, termed the B Series, was to replace the A Series notes circulating since 1928, and was to be of a more modern design and format.
The first of the new B Series notes to enter circulation was the £5 note in 1976. The series was completed with the introduction of the £50 note on November 5th 1991, which is the actual date of issue on the note.
The B Series banknotes have a specifically Irish historical flavour. The series is based on historic and cultural themes ranging from the pre-Christian era to the twentieth century, centering on writers, philosophers and artists.
B Series notes continued the established practice of each note bearing a date of issue. The notes use a prefix of three letters, composed from the first 12 letters of the alphabet. Replacement notes are identified by a prefix of three letters the same, as follows: One Pound notes - BBB, DDD, GGG; Five Pound notes - AAA, FFF; Ten Pound notes - CCC, HHH; Twenty Pound notes - EEE, LLL; Fifty Pound notes - KKK.
A design pattern was done for a £100 denomination, but it was not required by the Central Bank of Ireland. The A Series £100 notes remained in circulation.
Central Bank of Ireland Series B Specimen notes
View by Type - Five Types of Legal Tender Notes by signature and design variation.
View by Denomination - An example of each denomination for every Type.
View by Date - An image of every date for which an example has been seen of each denomination.
Note: the dimensions tended to vary by a millimetre or so, depending on the cut.
£1 Note, 148 x 78 mm; £5 Note, 156 x 82 mm;
£10 Note, 164 x 86 mm; £20 Note, 172 x 90 mm;
£50 Note, 180 x 94 mm.
£100 Note, 188 x 98 mm. The £100 denomination was never issued. The design reached an advanced stage before being cancelled. Images can be viewed on the page covering the design of the Series B 100 note featuring Grainuaile.
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