UKC

This is probably a really silly question but if two lots of artwork are produced for each issue of a note, why aren't they both released?

If there's a boom in fake 'Churchills' then they can be recalled and destroyed. While they're being replaced, the 'Davison' or 'Lovelace' or whoever it is can remain in circulation (or visa versa of course). It's not without precedent, there are already several different £5 note designs legally in circulation.

Ok, so at some point to further upgrade security both designs have to be withdrawn but if the plates for both the release and contingency design exist you still lose the development cost of both in that scenario at present.

jk

In reply to jkarran:

Am I being dense or is there already a woman on every banknote?

In reply to jkarran:


Does the Lovelace involve scratch n sniff technology?

I got some scottish notes in scotland and couldn't use the self service till in morrison's cos they wouldn't read them.

In reply to trouserburp:


Clearly not but one that's there on merit not privilege is what's being talked about.

My question specifically was what's gained by holding back a design in reserve or put another way, what's the problem with releasing both commissioned designs. We have a multitude of coin designs in each denomination and already have several different note designs in circulation from the Scottish and Northern Irish banks.

jk

In reply to jkarran:

Controversial, maybe, but maybe the number of uncontentious and recogniseable British female candidates for bank notes are in pretty short supply, so they're being rationed out ?

In reply to jkarran:

In the past Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Fry have both appeared on banknotes.

In reply to GrahamD:

Would you recognise the men on some of the notes without having the names there. Adam Smith is hardly a familiar face.

The Brontes, Jane Austin, Emeline Pankhurst, Roselind Franklin even Margaret Thatcher.

In reply to The New NickB:


Not a familiar face, but a familiar name


But its not a long list, is it ? You could burn through the list with very few banknote reissues, I think (PS a bit early for Maggie, I suspect )

In reply to The New NickB:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

In reply to GrahamD:

Not a long list because I didn't want to write out loads, there are hundreds of women from history that are or should be as famous as Adam Smith.

In reply to The New NickB:

Substantially fewer than there are men, I strongly suspect. For instance, I'm struggling to think of any significant histortical engineering achievement or Scientific achievement attributable to a British woman but I can probably list hundreds of men.

Why this should be is another debate entirely !

In reply to GrahamD:

You didn't read my very short list very well then!

In reply to The New NickB:

I have to admit to having to Google Roselind Franklin (and I bet I'm not alone). Where would she rank in terms of well known scientific figures, do you think ? Pretty much everyone will have heard of Newton, Maxwell, Darwin, Hawkins ?

In reply to GrahamD:

Not as highly as she should, I wonder why that is.

I didn't know who Elizabeth Fry was until she appeared on a fiver.

In reply to GrahamD:

Wasn't the Double Helix one of the 50 books that we must read before we die, or some such?

As for Elizabeth Fry, God damn her wretched reforming bones. Prisons were fun before the likes of she came along.

In reply to The New NickB:



As I said - thats a differnt question. A list of 'fame' versus 'scientific merit' may or may not show a gender prejudice but more likely is that historically women won't have been allowed to make significant contributions and therefore there are genuinely many fewer female candidates.

In reply to The New NickB:

Holly Willoboobby, is fairly recognisable....

In reply to Jim C:

Perhaps better reserved for the £3 note...?

In reply to The New NickB:


When I was in the USA a few years ago my cousins friend who had gone to a southern university told me that some of the locals would not accept $5 bills because they have a picture of Abraham Lincoln on them.

If the Bank of England put an image of Thatcher on a bank note I would probably do the same (although obviously for different reasons).

In reply to Furthur:

Expensive toilet paper.

In reply to Furthur:

You occasionally hear about southern taxi drivers refusing Scottish notes, I think in this instance the roles could be reversed, with some Scottish taxi drivers perhaps refusing Thatcher notes.

In reply to jkarran: I'd like to see Mary Seacole on a banknote.