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80 Pounds White, 1759 issue
| Issuer | Bank of England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1759-1775 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#109 |
| Obverse description | A small Britannia vignette appears at the upper left, rendered in intaglio, serving as the primary security device of the note. The body of the note is set in letterpress script, bearing the Bank of England's promise-to-pay text with the denomination EIGHTY Pounds written out in full, alongside the date, place of issue, and the authority of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England. The overall design follows the classic unilateral white note format, with ruled horizontal lines across the field and manuscript endorsements typical of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | PAID |
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| Comments |
The "White Notes" of the Bank of England — unprinted on the reverse, handwritten in part, and signed by a cashier — were the dominant form of high-value paper currency in Britain for nearly two centuries. The £80 denomination is among the more unusual of the series; most large-value transactions clustered around rounder figures, and £80 denominations were issued to satisfy specific commercial needs rather than as a standard offering. The partial manuscript completion, including payee name and date, means no two examples are identical documents.
The 1759 dating coincides with the height of the Seven Years' War, when Bank of England note issuance was under considerable strain financing government borrowing.