How much is my polymer £20 note worth?

*** UPDATE ***

With the impact of Covid-19 meaning less people are using cash, it seems older, paper banknotes aren’t being cashed in! According to reports, 24.5 billion paper banknotes are still out there!

Whilst the paper £20 is technically still legal tender, the new polymer notes have been causing quite a stir in the collecting community.

Back in 2016, the first-ever polymer banknote was issued to replace the paper £5 note, with a cleaner, safer and stronger alternative.

Since then, we’ve seen the introduction of the polymer £10, featuring the portrait of Jane Austen and this year saw the issue of the polymer £20 note, featuring JMW Turner’s portrait.

2020 JMW Turner Polymer £20 Note

We’ve seen the £5 and £10 notes prove incredibly popular with collectors, with particular notes selling on eBay for way over face value!

But what makes a banknote collectable? Well… It’s all to do with serial numbers!

We previously listed the serial numbers that you should be looking out for on the Polymer £20 note, from AA01 to AK-47, and unsurprisingly, some are proving more popular than others, but which ones are likely to fetch the most on the secondary market?

Well, we’ve done the hard work for you by taking a look at which polymer £20 note serial numbers are selling for the most on eBay and which ones you should be looking out for.

How much is the polymer £20 worth?

‘Rare’ polymer £20 banknotes

Recurring numbers

If you’ve been lucky enough to find a £20 note with a series of recurring numbers, like the 777777 serial number, you may want to keep hold of it as we’ve seen some which are currently selling on eBay for around £400 – over 20 times its face value!

Serial number 777777. Credit: eBay

Similar serial numbers have sold for prices within the same range. The 333333 serial number also sold for £400, so it seems collectors everywhere are desperate to get their hands on a recurring number note!

Serial number 333333. Credit: eBay

Another type of serial number you should be keeping an eye out for, is a ‘ladder’. These are serial numbers that have consecutive numbers, like this ‘001122’ note.

Serial number 001122. Credit: eBay

One lucky collector got his hands on this note but at a hefty £529…  Other ladder numbers include ‘012345’ and these could currently fetch you a very respectful £350 on the secondary market!

AA numbers

As with previous polymer note issues, the lower serial numbers for the new £20 have proven popular with collectors, with the current average selling price for the AA notes coming in at £40! That’s two times the note’s face value!

Serial number: AA50. Credit: eBay

At the annual Bank of England charity auction held at Spink and Son Ltd in London the very first polymer note, the £5, with the serial number AA01 000017 auctioned for £4,150! However, this year, the £20 note with serial number AA01 000010 sold for a staggering £7,500, over FOUR times its starting price!

Serial number: AA01 000010 auction. Credit: Spink

AK47

Considered collectable due to the machine gun connotations, polymer notes with the prefix AK47 were thought to be worth well over face value following the new £5 release in 2016.

A quick look at the most recent eBay sold prices for this serial number, on the new £20 note, show that people are willing to pay £11 over its face value!

Serial number AK47. Credit: eBay

What about the £50 note?

The Bank of England will be issuing a new polymer £50 in 2021 featuring the scientist Alan Turing.

£50 Polymer Banknote Concept. Credit: Bank of England

We can’t wait to see the new polymer £50 when it’s issued!

So there we have it, the current selling prices for your polymer £20 notes! With less cash being used during the current climate and therefore less notes in circulation, it’s possible this has added to the collectability of these new polymer £20 notes.

Are you a banknote collector and if so, which notes do you have in your collection? Let us know in the comments below!


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13 Comments

  1. Gordon Chin on July 15, 2020 at 7:40 pm

    1 have 10 shilling notes from 1934 to 1970 £1 from 1934 to 1988 £5 from 1955 to 2003 1970 £10 2011 £10 2011 £20 and 1942 5 reichsmark



  2. Peter Welford on June 24, 2020 at 3:00 pm

    I have a number of the new £5, £10 and £20 notes in lots of 5 and 10 with sequential numbers. These are pristine and straight out of the cash machine. Are they worth any more than their face value?



    • Alexandra Siddons on June 25, 2020 at 3:40 pm

      Hi Peter,

      Whilst I can’t provide valuations, we have a number of helpful blogs that can help you determine the notes value, like this one: https://www.changechecker.org/2016/09/22/check-your-fiver-now-it-could-be-worth-100/

      As for the notes condition, the better quality the note is in, the more desirable it will be for collectors, which very well may increase their value.

      Thanks!
      Alex



  3. William Byres on June 23, 2020 at 11:44 pm

    I have a £10 note with 101010 as a serial number



    • Alexandra Siddons on June 24, 2020 at 9:00 am

      Wow! Sounds like a popular ladder style serial number. Will you be keeping hold of it or selling it?



  4. paula downes on June 23, 2020 at 10:56 pm

    I have am immaculate ak47 and ak46 is there a y realuty in selling them ??



    • Alexandra Siddons on June 24, 2020 at 9:00 am

      Hi Paula,

      I would say there certainly is! If you’re ever uncertain, it’s worthwhile looking at the recently sold listings on eBay for an AK47 polymer pound note.

      Thanks,
      Alex



  5. Neil Martin Pomeroy on June 22, 2020 at 11:42 am

    I have all the current banknotes £20 and below in your album and am now collecting £50 . is there a change checker pages for £50 . ?
    Have notes been issued this year for the new boe cashier ?



    • Alexandra Siddons on June 22, 2020 at 1:46 pm

      Hi Neil,

      Unfortunately we don’t have a £50 note collecting kit available at the moment. I’m very impressed by your collection of £20 notes!

      The new notes featuring the new Bank of England cashier, Sarah John, were issued back in February, when the new polymer £20 notes entered circulation. If you haven’t already, watch our video explaining all about the polymer £20 notes key security features, including the special signature! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnMxeWG7OLk

      Thanks,
      Alex



    • Donn Jones on June 22, 2020 at 2:09 pm

      Have a French 100 Franc banknote Where can i find out if it is of any value ?



      • Alexandra Siddons on June 22, 2020 at 3:46 pm

        Hi Donn,

        Your best indication on determining the banknote’s value is to look on the secondary market, like eBay for the recently sold prices for similar notes.

        Thanks,
        Alex



  6. eric hope on June 22, 2020 at 10:25 am

    notes in posession



  7. eric hope on June 22, 2020 at 10:23 am

    aa01 103274 £5 ak47160033 £5 aa01279204£10 aa01178037£10 ak47958910£10 ak47161027£10