...Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - One Pound

Alba

Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland Limited (RBS)
(Founded 1727, First issuing banknotes on 08.12.1727)

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

 

 

I recently acquired a single one pound note printed with the date of 1 May 1981, and I have updated the note here.

 

Below are the two notes that I have for my collection. These are the 1971 to 1981 Arms series of one pound. The one pound note was first issued with the date of 5 January 1972, and the last one with the date of 1 May 1981. In all, there are 10 notes issue, all printed with a different date. This series was then replaced by 1982-1986 when the name of the bank was amended on the note, to include the three letter PLC (Public Limited Company).

Both notes posted below have the signature of John B Burke, and here are some brief stories about him. John Burke was born in 1924, in Glasgow, Scotland. He started work for the National Bank of Scotland in 1941, and it was believed that he was influenced by his uncle, who was then also employed by the same bank. In 1942 when he reached the age of 18, he joined the navy during the Second World War, and returned to civilian life after the war in 1946, and rejoined the National Bank of Scotland. In 1951, he was then transferred to the bank's head office in Edinburgh. In 1959, the National Bank of Scotland merged with Commercial Bank of Scotland, and formed the National Commercial Bank of Scotland, and John Burke was then appointed as personal assistant to the bank's general manager. In 1968, he was appointed as the general manager, and a year later, National Commercial Bank was taken over by The Royal Bank of Scotland, and in 1970, his title was changed to managing director. In 1982, he retired from the bank, and died in 1983, following a hill walking adventure. He was 59 years old.

 

One Pound (Dated 01 May 1975)

Bank logo (Daisy Wheel), Bank's Coat of Arms

 

Front - Coat of Arms, with the note face value of One Pound printed in the middle. The logo of the Royal Bank of Scotland, aka Daisy Wheel is also printed on the note on the top left-hand corner. This logo has appeared on the Royal Bank of Scotland since 1971. 

 

Signature - John B Burke (tenure 1969-1982; as General Manager)

Watermark - Adam Smith

Dimensions - 131mm x 67mm

 

Back - The aerial view of Edinburgh Castle. No doubt, this is a world-famous landmark in Edinburgh, and was built around the 11th century. Edinburgh Castle had witnessed few conflicts since it was built, and since 1950, it has staged the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo annual event. This historical castle is located on Castle Rock in the city of Edinburgh. The Castles series is one of the better designs of Scottish banknotes. The Edinburgh Castle design was first used in 1969 on the £5 note, and the 1972 series all have designs of various Scottish castles depicted on the back of the notes.

Edinburgh Castle

One Pound (Dated 1 May 1981)

Bank logo (Daisy Wheel), Bank's Coat of Arms

Edinburgh Castle