New Polymer Notes for Northern Ireland

[ThePloughman]

Zany prefixes, from MM to Y2K. And N for the replacement, the usual letter was Z, I think.

[DOC]

MM and Y2K are the only known prefixes for the standard issue notes. Yes, Z would be the more usual prefix for a replacement note but in this case N was used. I guess they wanted to do something different for such a radically different design.

[DOC]

Interesting errors are not often seen for polymer notes as there are several production controls in the printing process. Here is an unusual example of a cutting error on a £10 Bank of Ireland polymer note. This is the first example of this type of error that I have seen.

[Mac]

Interesting indeed. Do you have a pic of the reverse also?

[DOC]

Here is a picture of the reverse.

[DOC]

It has been reported that Danske Bank plans to introduce a polymer £20 note on July 20th.

Bank of Ireland £20 polymer notes will also be launched on the same day.

[DOC]

Here are images of the new Bank of Ireland £20 polymer note, standard issue and specimen. The note was released into circulation on July 20th and bears the signature of Francesca McDonagh, Group Chief Executive of Bank of Ireland. This is a significant milestone as it appears to be the first time the signature of a woman has appeared on a note issued by a bank based in Ireland.

The note is attractively designed and the appearance of the hologram changes depending on the method used to scan or photograph it. This is due to the presence of iridescent ink which changes depending on the angle of tilt. It is difficult to capture the face of Mercury but the image of the specimen note manages to capture this feature nicely.

[Mac]

A nice addition to the series, still with some original elements from the 1815 designs present!

[DOC]

It appears that Bank of Ireland and Danske Bank are not using a marked replacement note system for their new £20 polymer notes. Perhaps the error rate does not justify the use of replacement notes with a special prefix.

Ulster Bank plans to issue its £20 polymer notes later this year. I recently came across this image of a specimen note, dated 22nd February 2020.

[Mac]

These notes continue the Ulster Bank tradition of not having any portraits on their notes, which I think they have had since their first note issues.
A pity about the lack of replacement notes—no obvious rarities!

[DOC]

Here is an interesting £5 polymer error note issued in 1999 by The Northern Bank and up for auction later this month at DNW. The intaglio printing is completely missing from the front side. A normal note is attached for comparison.

[Mac]

An attractive error of an attractive note!
It also serves as a good illustration of the layers of printing on the note.

[DOC]

The Ulster Bank finally released its new £20 polymer note this week on October 14th. There are some surprises. The date, signature and signature title differ from the earlier specimens. The new date is 22nd February 2019 and the new signature title is, Chief Financial Officer.

The signature is a little difficult to figure out and it is not mentioned whose signature it is, on the Bank’s website. It appears to be ‘Katie Murray’ and this would make sense given that she is the Chief Financial Officer of NatWest Group, owners of Ulster Bank. A specimen note with the latest signature is attached.

[Mac]

Will any of the banks go to £50 notes, I wonder.

[DOC]

Interesting question about the possibility of higher denomination polymer notes. I have not seen any mention of plans to introduce polymer £50 or £100 notes but this would seem to be inevitable as stocks of paper notes run out.

Here is an issued example of the recently released Ulster Bank £20 polymer note. The reverse of the note depicts Derry’s world-famous Halloween celebrations. In keeping with the Halloween theme, the watermarks feature bats and skeletons. These can be seen under UV light.

[Vellakare]

I would at this point consider the issue of a polymer £50 an inevitability, due to the reduction of buying power and inflation over the past three decades. A £100 however, is much less certain.

[Mac]

The Ulster £20 is a nice note.
And it looks good in UV!

[DOC]

Ulster Bank have issued a new £20 polymer note, dated 1st March 2021. An interesting feature is the new promissory statement which now refers to National Westminster Bank Plc.

[Mac]

That's an interesting development for Ulster Bank notes!

[DOC]

Here is an issued example of the first £20 Danske Bank polymer note, dated 2019.