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Showing posts with label Scotland - The Royal Bank of Scotland. Show all posts

...Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - One Pound dated 01.05.1981

Alba

Scotland

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

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

Here is the only ₤1 note of the 1981 series I have in my collection. This note belongs to the Scottish castles series. The design for this Edinburgh was first introduced in 1969 with the ₤5 note. In 1970, the bank issued another ₤5 note with the same theme and design but with different colours. In 1972, it released a full set of banknotes all depicting different Scottish castles on the back. Since then, the bank went on and issued the Castle series, albeit different designs, until 2017. However, despite releasing banknotes featuring various Scottish castles, the bank ceased issuing the ₤1 note after the 2001 series.

In my opinion, the Castle series is the best series of banknotes ever designed by the Royal Bank of Scotland's banknotes issued. The designs are simple, beautiful, and more importantly, they are not overcrowded with all kinds of features.

One Pound

Front - The Coat of Arms printed on the center right. The design for the Coat of Arms featuring a horse and a deer holding onto a shield. On top of the shield is a ribbon with the word 'FIRM' printed on it. It is believed this Coat of Arms was first developed in 1960 and only appeared on the 1966 banknote series. The bank ceased using this Coat Arms when the first polymer series was introduced in 2016. Since then, the bank has used the bank logo Daisy Wheel instead. It should be noted that the Daisy Wheel logo was first used in the 1971 series.

Signature - John B Burke

Dated - 1 May 1981

Watermark - Image of Adam Smith

Dimensions - mm x mm

Back - A bird-eye view of Edinburgh Castle. This castle was first built in the 11th century. Edinburgh castle is located on top of Castle Rock. This is a historical castle and was once the royal residence. Later it was then turned into an arsenal, a treasury, a national archive, a mint, a prison and a military fortress. Whilst this castle had gone through many conflicts over the past few centuries, today it is well known to the world for its annual Edinburgh festival for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo parade. No doubt this historical castle is a tourist attraction in the city of Edinburgh and each year attracts more than 2.0+ million visitors from all over the world.

...Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - 20 Pounds Polymer Dated 02.12.2021 s.Alison Rose

Alba

Scotland

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

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

Posted below is a reprint of the 2019 £20 polymer series with the new date of 02.12.2021. There is no change to the design for the previous note dated 29.01.2021, except the new date.

Twenty Pounds

Kate Cranston (b.1849-1934)

Front - This note honored the Scottish entrepreneur Catherine “Kate” Cranston. Her name and her year of birth/death are printed under her portrait. In the background is the image of Cranston’s Tea Rooms.

Signature - Alison Rose (CEO)

Dimensions - 140mm x 73.5mm

Back - Two playful Red Squirrels on a tree; An excerpt from the poem ‘Cupid and Venus’ by Mark Alexander Boyd; A Midge; and background imagery of botanical used in the dyeing process.

Two playful Red Squirrels on a tree

..Scotland, The Royal Bank Of Scotland - 2021 Reprints Of £10 And £20 Both Dated 29.01.2021 s. Alison Rose

Alba

Scotland

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

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

Posted below are the two notes of £10 and £20 both dated 29.01.2021. These notes bear the signature of Alison Rose, the first female appointed to lead a major bank in the United Kingdom. Alison Rose was appointed to the Chief Executive Office in November 2019, following the resignation of Ross Maxwell McEwan, who is now the CEO of the National Australia Bank Ltd in Australia.

Despite the introduction of the polymer banknote series in Scotland since 2016, it is surprising to see these reprints were issued so soon, especially the denomination of the £20. In addition to the Royal Bank of Scotland, banknotes issued by the Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank are also circulating in Scotland, not to mention those issued by the Bank of England too. Scotland has a rather small population as compared to England and polymer banknotes are supposed to last at least 2.5 times longer than those cotton based banknotes. Perhaps the quantity printed are not a lot, but them, many people are now using less cash for their daily transactions, especially during this current Covid-19 pandemic, and as such the demand would have dropped too. I am sure there are more notes printed waiting to be released as well?

The only note that is missing Alison Rose's signature is the £5 note, and I am sure she will get to sign one in the near future.

As these are reprints, the designs are the same as those previously issued except with new signature and new date.

Signature - Alison Rose

£10 - 132mm x 69mm

£20 - 139mm x 73mm

Ten Pounds

Mary Fairfax Somerville (b.1780-1872)

two otters, poem 'Moorings' by Norman MacCraig, Burntishland beach

Twenty Pounds

Dated 2021, Catherine “Kate” Cranston (b.1948-1934)

Two playful Red Squirrels on a tree

..Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - 50 Pounds Polymer Note 2020(2021) New Series

Alba

Scotland

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

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

This is the latest polymer series of £50 released to the public for circulation on 18.08.2021. The polymer series was first introduced in 2016, and since then the bank has released the polymer denominations of £5, £10, £20 and now the £50.

Like those previously issued, the designs on both the front and the back are completely new. For this polymer series, the designs on the front are all featuring a famous Scottish woman, and fish or animals on the back.

*Front;-

Portrait of Flora Clift Stevenson, her name and dates of birth and death

Background picture of Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh

Hero quote “What Miss Stevenson did not know about education was not worth knowing”

Textile and dye elements

Holographic foil stripe featuring the RBS logo above a number’50’ with Ladies Bedstraw flowers in the background

Royal Bank of Scotland name and logo

*Back;-

Two Ospreys, one holding a mackerel;

An excerpt from the poem ‘Nettles’ by Neil Munro. The first two line in the visible layer “There’s deer upon the hillside, There’s sheep along the glen;

A tiny Midge;

Holographic foil stripe featuring the RBS logo above a number’50’ in reverse with Ladies Bedstraw flowers in the background;

Background imagery of Ladies Bedstraw a botanical used in the dyeing process;

Royal Bank of Scotland name and logo.

This note is printed with a date of 27th May 2020 and the signature on the note belongs to:-

Signatures

Chief Executive Officer - Alison Rose (since November 2019)

Dimensions - 146mm x 77mm

Fifty Pounds (Polymer)

Dated 2020, Flora Clift Stevenson (b.1839-1905)

This note features Flora Clift Stevenson on the front of the note. Stevenson was born in Glasgow in 1839. She was a Scottish educator and during her lifetime devoted her life in promoting education for girls. In 1872, she was the first woman to be elected to a school board. She later became the Chairperson of the school board. In 1899, a new school was built in Edinburgh and named after her - Flora Stevenson Primary School. She was then 60 years old. And for this reason, the RBS launched this new note at the school that named after her, on 25.06.2021. Stevenson died in 1905 at the age of 65 in St Andrews Scotland. This is also the first Scottish banknote that features a woman on the front. All previous polymer notes are also having women featured on the notes, but they were all printed on the back.

Two Ospreys, one holding a mackerel

Footnote

* - courtesy of Scotbanks's website

There are only few commercial banks around the world that still has the rights to issue their own banknotes that are legal tender. These are known as 'high street bank' banknotes. These banks print banknotes on behalf of their own banks, which are legal tender and also have convertible value outsides its own territory as well. These commercial banks are; The Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank, Bank of Ireland (NI), Ulster Bank, Danske Bank, The HongKong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Bank of China (HK branch), Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of China (Macau branch) and Banco Nacional Ultramarino (Macau).

Those banknotes issued by commercial banks in Northern Ireland and Scotland, can be used in anywhere in the UK. Those banknotes issued by the Bank of England are legal tender in the entire United Kingdom.

..Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - £20 Dated 27.05.2019 s. Alison Rose

Alba

Scotland

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

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

Posted here is a £20 polymer banknote printed with the date of 27.05.2019. This note bears the signature of Alison Rose. This is the first time that Alison Rose's signature is appearing on a banknote since she was appointed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Natwest Group in November 2019, following the resignation of Ross Maxwell McEwan.

It should be noted that the date on this £20 note has the same date as the one first introduced bearing the signature of Ross McEwan. Ross McEwan announced his registration in April 2019, and the note bearing his signature was first released on 05.03.2020. Following his announcement, he continued to stay on the role until a new successor was appointed. The bank must have decided to print the new £20 with two signatures, knowingly that by the time the note was released, Ross McEwan would have left the bank by then.

In September 2019, the NatWest Group announced that Alison Rose will succeed Ross McEwan, and she took charge on 01.11.2019.

Signature - Alison Rose

Dimension - £20 139mm x 73mm

Twenty Pounds

Dated 2019, Catherine “Kate” Cranston (b.1948-1934)

Two playful Red Squirrels on a tree

Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland Limited - £20 Polymer Dated 2019

Alba / Scotland

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

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

This is the Royal Bank of Scotland £20 issued on 05.03.2020. The theme for this polymer series is called ‘Fabric of Nature’. The Royal Bank of Scotland was the last bank to release this new £20 polymer note. Both the Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank released their new £20 polymer note on 27.02.2020. The signature on this note belongs to Ross Maxwell McEwan. He left the Bank in October 2019 and he is now the CEO of The National Australia Bank Limited based in Melbourne Australia. The current CEO of the Royal Bank of Scotland is Alison Rose (since 01.11.2019)

This note is printed with the date of 27.05.2019.

Front
Portrait of Scottish entrepreneur Catherine “Kate” Cranston, her name and dates of birth and death (b.1849-1934);
Background picture of Cranston’s Tea Rooms;
Spark® Orbital™ Royal Bank of Scotland logo;
Royal Bank of Scotland name and logo.

Back
Two playful Red Squirrels on a tree;
An excerpt from the poem ‘Cupid and Venus’ by Mark Alexander Boyd;
A Midge;
Background imagery of botanicals used in the dyeing process;
Royal Bank of Scotland name and logo.

Signature : Ross Maxwell McEwan CEO (tenure 2013- Oct 2019)
Imprinter : De La Rue
Size :139mm x 73mm

Unlike the polymer notes issued by both the Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank since 2016 where it featured a portrait of a male person on the front of the notes, The Royal Bank of Scotland have all three different females depicted on the front on each of it's polymer notes series issued. This is obviously a break from having the portrait of Lord Ilay, who has been on the front of The Royal Bank of Scotland's banknotes since 1987.

Twenty Pounds

Dated 2019, Catherine “Kate” Cranston

Reverse - Two playful Red Squirrels on a tree

Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland Limited - £20 Dated 2017

Alba / Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland Limited

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

This is a £20 note reprint with the date of 04.04.2017. This note was made available in 2019. The design of this note has not changed for many years now. The previous issue of this note was dated 31.01.2016. I believe this is the last paper banknote for this denomination and is now replaced by the polymer series. This £20 paper note series was first issued in 1987. The main design on the front is the portrait of Lord Ilay, one of the founding members of The Royal Bank of Scotland. On the back is the Brodick Castle, situated just outside the port of Brodick on the Ilse of Arran. The Brodick Castle is believed to be built in 1510.

Signature : Ross Maxwell McEwan CEO
Watermark : Lord Ilay
Imprinter : Thomas De La Rue and Company Limited
Size : 149.5mm x 81mm

Twenty Pounds

Dated 2017, Lord Ilay (Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll, 1st Earl of Ilay) 1682-1761

Brodick Castle on the Ilse of Arran

Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - 2016 Paper Series Signature Ross Maxwell McEwan

The Royal Bank of Scotland

Ten Pounds

Dated 2016, Last Prefix, P353c

Reverse

Twenty Pounds

Dated 2016, First Prefix, P354f

Reverse

..Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - £10 2017 Polymer Series

Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland is the second bank to release the new £10 polymer series. This note was released on 04.10.2017.

Front: Portrait of Mary Somerville, quote from her work "The Connection of the Physical Sciences", Burntisland beach (Mary Somerville was born in Jedburg in 1780, not far from the north of England and raised in Burntisland, near Edinburgh);
Back: a male and female playful Otters, an excerpt from the poem "Moorings" by Norman MacCraig, botanicals used in the dyeing process and Dogtooth tweed pattern designed by Scottish mills.

According to the bank, this is a people's banknote as more than 1000 Scots were consulted in the design of this new note. The main feature on the front of the note depicts the portrait of Mary Somerville. Somerville was a great and iconic lady during her time as a scientist and her name has been honored such as Somerville College in Oxford, Somerville House in Burntisland and a main-belt asteroid, 5771 Somerville (1987 ST1). During her lifetime, she studied astronomy, geography, mathematics, art and Latin. On the back it features the two otters. The first £5 polymer note has the design of the Scottish mackerel, and this second note has a pair of playful otters. It appears that the theme was started from the sea and it's now reached the shore. It is believed that the next 3 notes will continue the journey. There are few hidden security features on the note and this can be viewed under UV light. The two otters glowed under the UV light. Can you spot the number "10" on the nose of the two otters? (no "5" in the eye of the Scottish mackerels).

First prefix AA; Replacement prefix ZZ.

Ten Pounds

Dated 2016, P371 - AA Prefix

Reverse

Ten Pounds (last prefix)

Last Prefix

Reverse

Ten Pounds

Dated 2017 - Replacement ZZ

Reverse

Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - £1 Dated 23.03.1994

I found out this interesting note not long ago and decided to get one for my collection. This is a £1 note printed with the date of 23.03.1994. To the collectors in Scotland, this note is also known as the "Headless note" as unlike those notes printed earlier and later, this note does not have the usual watermark of Lord Ilay, First Governor. Traditionally, all notes for The Royal Bank of Scotland are printed by Thomas de la Rue and Company Limited, however for this one, it was printed by BA Banknote (British American Bank Note company). The most noticeable differences are the watermark, the date (difference font used) and the imprinter name on the back of the note. The signature on the note belongs to Sir George Ross Mathewson, who was the Chief Executive/Chief Executive Officer from 1992 to 2000.

I believe only one prefix was printed - C/31

One Pound

Dated 1994, P357 BABN Imprinter

Reverse

Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - £5 Polymer Series 2016

The Royal Bank of Scotland is the last bank in Scotland to issue polymer note. Here is the £5 note released on 27.10.2016. The date printed on this note is 11.02.2016. This is a new series with new designs, which is completely difference from the current paper series. The first two polymer notes will feature famous Scottish women (£5 - novelist & poet Nan Shepherd 1893-1981 & £10 - scientist Mary Fairfax Somerville 1780-1872). The reverse of the £5 note features two Mackerel, the single most valuable stock for the Scottish fishing industry. The first prefix for this series is printed with AA and the replacement prefix is ZZ. This series is printed by De La Rue with Safeguard polymer material. The signature on the note belongs to Ross Maxwell McEwan (Chief Executive Officer).

Five Pounds (120mm x 66mm)