Three new polymer £20 banknotes have been released into circulation throughout Scotland.
Coin Week reports Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank notes went into circulation on 28 February and Royal Bank of Scotland’s banknote will be released today.
Designed and manufactured by De La Rue, these banknotes share a common colour and set of security features to help with public recognition.
All banknotes contain a window that can be looked through, the same tactile embossed feature to help the visually impaired distinguish between different values, microtext, colours that glow under UV light and a colour-shifting metallic ink.
In addition, Clydesdale and Bank of Scotland denominations contain a holographic foil in their windows featuring imagery relevant to the banknotes.
Coin Week reports design themes such as Robert the Bruce and spiders carry across from the paper series in the Clydesdale £20 and themes such as thistles and Sir Walter Scott link to the paper series for the Bank of Scotland £20.
Clydesdale Bank said it is “delighted” with its new £20 note design and “encourage members of the public to look at the holographic foil to see a spider crawling as well as view Robert the Bruce in three dimensions.”
Richard Hill from Bank of Scotland said the new £20 “continues the Bridges Series, building on the design and images of the polymer £5 and £10, including the innovative substrate windows as actual windows in The Mound building in the design.”
“The new holographic foil features the statue Victory that sits on top of The Mound building and this hologram is the most impactful to date,” he added.
The front of Bank of Scotland’s note still features the portrait of Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott with an image of the Mound in Edinburgh.
The Forth Bridge remains on the reverse, but the Queensferry Crossing is visible in the background.
Money Saving Expert reports Bank of Scotland also released a limited edition commemorative note, celebrating the Queensferry Crossing in its own right.
Malcolm Buchanan from Royal Bank of Scotland said the bank is looking forward to the release of its first £20 polymer note, featuring entrepreneur Kate Cranston.
The Scotsman reports the polymer note is the first £20 Scottish bank note to feature a woman, other than the Queen, on the front.
“This is the third in our series of ‘Fabric of Nature’ notes and joins our polymer £5 and £10 notes which celebrate the legacy of Scottish women across art, science, and business whilst capturing the beauty and the best the country’s landscapes and natural environment has to offer,” Buchanan said.
“Thanks to De La Rue technology, these notes are cleaner, more durable and more secure than their paper predecessors,” he added.
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