Designing Banknotes
Bank of England notes are made to very high standards.
It is easy to tell the difference between a counterfeit and
a real note if you know what to look for.
How can we be sure that money is the real thing?
The Bank of England has made the design of its banknotes
so complicated that they are difficult to copy. These security
features give us the confidence to know that our money will
be accepted anywhere in the U.K. as payment.
Because of these features, the number of counterfeit
notes (notes that are not real) is tiny compared to the total
number of notes. There are several security features to look
out for on every Bank of England banknote. Study the design
and all will be revealed.
Why has so much care been taken over the
design?
The detailed design makes sure that everyone –
including people who are blind or partially sighted –
can identify notes. Each of the values is a different size and
has a different shaped symbol on it. The £5, £10
and £20 notes also have the number printed in large figures.
Clever stuff! The design shows pictures. Since 1960, each note
has had a portrait of the Queen and, since 1970, a famous British
person from the past. Bank of England notes are not the only
notes produced in the U.K. Some banks in Scotland and Northern
Ireland have the right to produce their own notes.
A note about banknotes
It’s important to remember that copying notes
or using counterfeits is against the law. If you find a counterfeit
you need to let an adult know. Counterfeits are valueless.
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