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British Banknote Prefix Information

INTRODUCTION

The Banknote Prefix Sightings Area of the British Notes website is a special area that we invite you to
participate.  With your valued help we can build an on-line catalogue of known banknote prefix sightings

First Prefix, Last Prefix, Replacements, Column Sorts, Errors, etc...
 
If at anytime whilst referring to these pages you wish to contribute with any updates
 
Email   pam@britishnotes.co.uk   or  Phone 0208 641 3224
 
Scans please  200 or 300 jpg

Please use ENGLISH PAPER MONEY, PAPER MONEY of IRELAND or PICK catalogue numbers

  

Replacement Banknotes
When the uncut sheets of banknotes are being checked, faulty sheets are removed.  To maintain the
numeracy of the stack these are replaced with a perfect sheet of banknotes, thus maintaining the integrity
of the stack. These replacement sheets are numbered separately, usually with an M prefix (LL prefix in
modern times), in earlier years the prefix A, S--S, T--D, etc, were used. 
 
 
 

Sheet Format
The top left corner banknote of a normal sheet would be numbered eg.,
BC42 000001, the second note would be BC43 000001, etc., the sheet below would be numbered
BC42 000002, the second note being BC43 000002, so when a stack of 100 sheets is guillotined,
each bundle of 100 notes is numbered down the bundle 1 to 100.
 

      

     

         Z Replacement Banknote from Jersey

 

Column Sort Banknotes
De la Rue, the Bank of England printers, like everyone else, is trying to save money.  So, when
part faulty sheets are removed from the stack, they are set aside.  The errors on the sheets would
have been marked with a yellow / orange phosphorescent pen.  The sheets would then be guillotined
into columns, the good  columns sorted  out for individual guillotining and numbering. Hence the
prefix / serials on column sorts are usually in a higher range. i.e., regular note  A35 000001 to
A35 800000.  Column Sorts  A35 900001 to  A35 999999

        

         Column Sort Banknote

Treasury Control Banknotes

Control banknotes are found at the bottom right hand corner of the sheet and were probably
used for accounting purposes, though, this has yet to be confirmed.  They always carry the prefix Z 
The rest of the sheet being a regular prefix

        

         Bradbury Control banknote  Z/1

Break Number / Split Prefix
Break Numbers / Split Prefixes occur when there is a signature change in the middle of a prefix.
 i.e.  signature 'A' up to GE 500000     signature 'B' after GE 500001

        

         1999 Grant / Mathewson AB prefix to serial 400000

       

          2003 Mitchell  AB prefix from serial 400001

 

     Serial Types

        

        Ladder serial  012345 or 654321 etc

      

        Solid serial  777777 

      

        Low serial  000005  on a Special Prefix banknote 

      

        Million serial  1000000, last nought hand set.  See Million Serial page.

      

        Radar serial  761167 or 123321 etc

      

        Word prefix  Soil  (Toil - Lion - Dior - Coil - Jail - Boil etc)

 

     Notches on White Banknotes

      

 

In order to prevent banknotes being printed on the wrong watermarked paper, Portals created
a simple solution. As the sheet of paper was moulded, a small notch was formed on the right
hand edge (top corner for the £5 note) at a specific point for each denomination. This ensured
the banknotes were printed on the correct watermarked paper.
A sheet of paper created a pair of notes, thus, the left hand note has a cut / straight right hand
edge and three deckled edges, at top, bottom and left. The right hand note has a cut / straight
left hand edge and three deckled edges, at top, bottom and right - the right hand with the
left hand edge and three deckled

  

The right hand edges of the notes shown above in order of denomination: £5, £10, £20, £50, £100.
The notches appear on the right hand edge only, which is always deckled. £5 note notches are in
the form of the top right corner removed.
For further reading :- Promises to Pay page 98, EPM 10th ed page 411

 

This method also utilised on the £200, £500 and £1000 notes.
The £200 notch is between the £20 and £50 notch.
The £500 notch is between the £10 and £20 notch.
The £1000 notch is between the £5 and £10 notch.