KEEP an eye for specific numbers on your banknotes with Queen Elizabeth on as they could be worth hundreds of pounds.
King Charles’ face will replace his mother’s on £5, £10, £20 and £50 note from next year.
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But The Bank of England has said that some bank notes with the late Queen Elizabeth on them that are still in circulation could be worth more than you think.
The ones to look out for are the last bank notes with the Queen’s face on them and are therefore worth more than their face value.
The last batch of £5 notes with the Queen on were made in July 2018, £10 notes in December 2020, £20 notes in October 2022 and £50 notes in April 2022
Each banknote has its own individual number attached to it depending on when it was printed.
If you have any notes lying around, or have found any down sofas and in wallets, there are four sets of numbers to look out for.
To determine if a note is worth any money than its face value, collectors will want to look for one of these four codes.
- £5 – BC60
- £10 – EM54
- £20 – DM45
- £50 – AE80
If you haven’t had any luck with these numbers, there are other bank notes and coins that could be worth a buck or two.
Consecutive serial numbers
Notes with consecutive serial numbers can also catch a collector’s eye, particularly if the numbers are low.
If you can combine an early serial letter, with a consecutive number you could be onto a winner.
For instance, if you get one with AA1234567, it’s likely to be popular.
Two notes with the serial numbers AA01090561 and AA01090562 sold for more than £50 in March 2020.
To make a profit, people usually try and sell them on eBay or Facebook, sometimes making hundreds of pounds.
Special meanings in serial numbers
When the Jane Austen £5 notes came out in 2017 there was lots of interest in numbers that were linked to her life.
For instance, collectors hunted for the serial numbers 16 121775 and 18 071817 because they are the author’s birth and death dates.
Also, the £20 notes released in 2020 feature artist JMW Turner, so serial numbers with his birth date – 1775 – could be a winner.
If you find one starting with an A that also includes his birth date that should be worth even more.
One special serial number to keep an eye out for is 1775 1851 which combines the painter’s birth and death date.
A note starting with JT could be valuable in theory, but there would have to be a lot of notes printed to reach this, so the notes are unlikely to end up in circulation.
There are also sets of serial numbers that always prove popular regardless of who is on the note, for instance 007 for James Bond or AK47.
AK47 notes have been listed for as much as £160,000 but most have been selling for about £100.
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