Note of the Month: Great Britain 20 Pounds

Posted on 2/25/2025

What light through yonder window breaks? It is a Romeo and Juliet banknote, issued to spotlight the works of William Shakespeare.



Click images to enlarge.

Country: Great Britain

Catalog Number: 380a

Date: ND (1970)

Denomination: 20 Pounds

Varieties: There are five catalog numbers (380a, 380b, 380c, 380d and 380e) in the PMG Population Report that correlate to four different signatures, one of which varied by having a watermark that is either Queen Elizabeth II or William Shakespeare.

What makes it special? February is the month of Valentine's Day, a time when people often think of the star-crossed lovers featured on the back of this note. "Romeo and Juliet" is one of the most popular plays of William Shakespeare, who is shown on these notes issued from 1970 to 1991. The 20 Pound note subsequently featured scientist Michael Farady, composer Edward Elgar, economist Adam Smith and painter J.M.W. Turner.

Did you know? Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is believed to have been written in the 1590s, but the story can be traced back to Matteo Bandello, an Italian writer and Dominican friar who wrote a collection of stories several decades earlier. The influence of Bandello's works is also seen in Shakespeare's "Cymbeline," "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Twelfth Night."

Total graded by PMG: As of mid-February 2025, the PMG Population Report includes 88 issued examples of Pick# 380a (including 11 Star/Replacement notes), 535 issued examples of Pick# 380b (including 50 Star/Replacement notes), 181 examples of Pick# 380c, 430 examples of Pick# 380d and 325 examples of Pick# 380e. The Population Report also includes 13 Specimens.

PMG median grade: PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ

PMG highest graded: The highest grade for Pick# 380a is PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ, shared by five notes. Meanwhile, PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ is the highest grade for Pick# 380b (four notes), Pick# 380c (one note), Pick# 380d (44 notes) and Pick# 380e (one note).

Sales highlights: A Pick# 380a graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ realized $840 at a Heritage Auctions sale in September 2018. A Pick # 380d graded PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ realized $408 at a Heritage Auctions sale in May 2021.

PMG Registry: This note is part of the Bank Of England, 1902-Date, Complete, Including Varieties category in the PMG Registry, where the first-place set, Lamb7's English Paper Money, Complete, Including Varieties, has an example of Pick# 380a graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated EPQ, as well as Pick# 380b, 380c, 380d and 380e in the same or higher grade. It is also part of the Queen Elizabeth II Portrait Set, 1960-Date, Complete, Including Varieties category, where Lamb7 also leads with a set called English Paper Money QEII, which uses the same notes.

Previous Notes of the Month:

Articles List

Note of the Month: Great Britain 20 Pounds

Stay Informed

Thanks!