An expert revealed exactly what to look for when trying to find a valuable note
Brits have been told to check their banknotes for any that could be worth as much as £10,000. According to an expert, certain notes featuring King Charles III could be especially valuable.
However, you need to check their serial numbers for ones that are sought-after by collectors. This number is found on the back of the note in the bottom, right hand corner. Typically the lower the serial number, the more valuable the note is, although certain other numbers and patterns are also in demand.
In a video uploaded to social media platform TikTok, an expert known as the Coin Collecting Wizard explained more. He said: “£10,000 for a King Charles banknote, have you seen this in the news? Let’s find out.
“Yes, there are King Charles banknotes you can now find out in the wild and some may be valuable due to specific serial numbers. But let’s not go crazy as £10,000 for a banknote is crazy.”
“But if you were to find a low serial number banknote then maybe, just maybe.” He shared what you should be looking for when it comes to the serial number.
The expert continued: “Notes with very low serial numbers, especially ones beginning with a ‘AA’ or ‘1’ tend to attract the most interest as these are from the very first batches printed.
Other desirable serial numbers include repeating patterns like ‘123456’ or ‘11 11 11 11’, palindromic numbers eg ‘2002’ and numbers with historical significance such as his birthday.
“So if you find a King Charles banknote in your change check that serial number carefully. It could be worth much more than face value to a collector.”
He shared some specific numbers that could be particularly sought after:
- 123456
- AA01
- 22222222
- 1000003
On its website, the Bank of England confirmed that the serial number of a note is important to collectors. It said: “Ignored by many, the serial numbers on our banknotes are one of a number of features that can spark huge interest among banknote collectors.
“When we release a new banknote, we hold back some of the first printed notes with especially low or symbolic serial numbers. We donate these to people and institutions that were involved in the development of the note or who traditionally receive a note when a new series is issued.”
These are often auctioned off for charity with an auction of newly released £20 notes in 2020 raising a combined £143,420.