Why has the £50 note never been updated?

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
5,060
Location
The remittance desk
Something that would interest me, who even knew that £100 notes exist?

I certainly didn't until another forum member handed about 10k all in 100's last year for a car they bought off me. Needless to say i got the local bank to check them :p

£100 notes only exist as legal tender as issued in Scotland. The £50 is a great note, I've only seen 1 fake in 5 years of banking.
 
Soldato
Joined
23 Oct 2002
Posts
2,562
Location
Edinburgh/Southampton
Pah - we use hundred pound notes here. And the first place I tried in Southampton took it too. The woman said 'I've never seen one of these before' and I said 'it's Scottish' and she just took it.
http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknoteapp/RBS_100.html

For some reason when people put them on ebay they sell for about £130-£150 (have a look for yourself) which has always puzzled me since you can walk into the principal branches in Edinburgh and ask for an uncirculated note and they will swap it for whatever notes you have!
 
Soldato
Joined
22 Feb 2003
Posts
3,889
Location
Glasgow
£100s are Bank of Scotland only, no?

abgps3.jpg


Lovely :/ :D
 
Associate
Joined
26 Mar 2008
Posts
503
Location
West London
Was weird when I got one in a shop I used to work in and didn't know they existed. Northern Ireland notes are another rare oddity, they also have £100 notes

http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknotes_current_bank_of_scotland.php

http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknotes_current_royal_bank_of_scotland.php

http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknotes_current_clydesdale_bank.php

Also Scottish notes (and I am guessing northern irish notes) are not legal tender (even in Scotland)

Q. Are the new banknotes legal tender?
Scottish Banknotes are legal currency – i.e. they are approved by the UK Parliament. However, Scottish banknotes are not legal tender, not even in Scotland. Interestingly, no notes from any bank - including the Bank of England – are legal tender in Scotland. Only the £1 and £2 coins are legal tender there. HM Treasury determine which notes are legal tender. For more information on legal tender visit http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/legal_position.php. The new banknotes will not be any different from the old notes in this respect.

From http://www.bankofscotlandhalifax.co.uk/HelpCentre/banknotes.asp
 
Last edited:
Caporegime
Joined
22 Nov 2005
Posts
45,164
Do banks really have vaults stuffed with cash, like in the movies. If so think of how much upheaval it would cause having to change it.

But then changing it would also make life harder for all those people with vast sums under the bed. Of cource I'm sure most people who have several grant under their bed have earned it legally and fully informed the tax man.

most banks only have small safes but the larger banks may have a lot of notes.


these days most money is electronic and probably backed up by gold or something anyway.
 

Hxc

Hxc

Soldato
Joined
29 Oct 2004
Posts
12,501
Location
London
Most shops in england will accept Scottish notes, although the £100 will probably throw most checkout staff. Where I work won't accept NI notes, though.
 

Jez

Jez

Caporegime
OP
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
33,073
I know for a fact there is at least one, somewhere in London got out £240 for hotel + food and ended up with 4x£50 and 2x£20. Was out of the way somewhere with lots of offices (ie off the tourist routes).

Why didnt you pay by card for those things?
 
Associate
Joined
26 Mar 2008
Posts
503
Location
West London
So can I spend a £100 note in shops in England? Are they likely to accept it?

Yes you can spend it (they are legal currency), whether they are accepted is another thing, if many places wont accepts £50 (shocked by this, I would have a fit, unless you are messing around by buying a twix or something similar) then I guess Scottish notes will be more difficult. You then get into the legal definitions of money (An item accepted by all as payment for debts or for goods or services) and it all gets a little difficult.
 
Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
1,884
I'm pretty sure no ATM gives out £50 notes...

canary wharf cash machines do.

ive never had a £50 declined, i think it might be illegal to do so (so long as its for a reasonable amount ie not using a 50 to get a 80p bus ride or something).. but then again i guess stamps are also legal tender - not sure how that works now that 1st class no longer have values on them :D
 
Associate
Joined
18 May 2008
Posts
1,495
Location
Norf Lahndahn
No - on the Underground at least, Scottish notes are only accepted up to the £20 - that is £5s, £10s and £20s from the Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale.

Interestingly, we do accept fifties from Allied Irish/First Trust, Bank of Ireland, Isle of Man Bank, Northern Bank, States of Guernsey treasury, States of Jersey Treasury and the Ulster Bank. Anti-Scottish sentiment there?

I'm interested in all these shops who refuse to accept fifties, though - are they legally allowed to refuse Bank of England's legal tender?

(Oh, and we are not allowed to give any of those notes in change - I think that's true generally, I know Sainsbury's don't.)
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom