Dates of Bank of England notes issued and withdrawn since 1980.
Denom-
ination |
Note Series |
Character on back of note |
Date issued |
Date withdrawn |
| £1 |
D |
Isaac Newton |
09.02.1978 |
11.03.1988 |
| £5 |
D |
Duke of Wellington |
11.11.1971 |
29.11.1991 |
| £5 |
E |
George Stephenson |
07.06.1990 |
21.11.2003 |
| £5 |
E (variant) |
Elizabeth Fry |
21.05.2002 |
Current note |
| £10 |
D |
Florence Nightingale |
20.02.1975 |
20.05.1994 |
| £10 |
E |
Charles Dickens |
29.04.1992 |
31.07.2003 |
| £10 |
E (variant) |
Charles Darwin |
07.11.2000 |
Current note |
| £20 |
D |
William Shakespeare |
09.07.1970 |
19.03.1993 |
| £20 |
E |
Michael Faraday |
05.06.1991 |
28.02.2001 |
| £20 |
E (variant) |
Sir Edward Elgar |
22.06.1999 |
30.06.2010 |
| £20 |
F |
Adam Smith |
13.03.2007 |
Current note |
| £50 |
D |
Sir Christopher Wren |
20.03.1981 |
20.09.1996 |
| £50 |
E |
Sir John Houblon |
20.04.1994 |
Current note |
| £50 |
F |
Matthew Boulton & James Watt |
02.11.2011 |
Current note |
Some banks, building societies, and Post Offices may still accept the most recent of the notes withdrawn from circulation for deposit to customer accounts or exchange for current series notes. However, agreeing to exchange these notes is at the discretion of the individual institution.
All Bank of England notes from which legal tender status has been withdrawn remain payable at face value forever at the Bank of England in London. Any such notes may be presented for payment either in person during business hours, or sent to us by post.
Go to exchanging Bank of England banknotes withdrawn from circulation for more information.
You may wish to contact the Bank before making a special journey to check that the Public Counter will be open at the time of your planned visit.