J B Page Portrait £1 B322 HZ Unc

It was in 1960 when L K O’Brien was Chief Cashier that the Bank of England decided to issue notes with the portrait of the reigning monarch Elizabeth II. This was quite a departure because until that point the only illustration on Bank of England notes was of Britannia. Britannia was still featured but this time in a seal which appeared on the back of the notes. The portrait of the young Queen Elizabeth II appeared on the front There were two regular varieties of the O’Brien Portrait £1 note with the catalogue references of B281 and B282. Here we offer the first £1 note with the B282 prefix –A in Uncircualted condition

A revolutionary note which was the first to include the embedded metal security thread. Signed by K.O. Peppiatt as Chief Cashier.

Known by collectors as the Britannia Blue, this £5 replaced the iconic Bank of England White £5 in 1957. It is one of the most impressive designs of the whole Bank of England series. It had a very short life because, in 1960, the Bank started to introduce notes with the Queen’s portrait for the first time and this series was never completed. A helmeted Britannia is on the front and a lion holding a key is on the back. An iconic note in its own right and available now in AU/Unc.