Printing Money

In the UK, the pound sterling is the universal unit of money. But that doesn’t mean that all British money is alike. The Bank of England prints money that is accepted everywhere in the United Kingdom (just like Bank of Canada) and it is the only English bank that prints money. But, in Northern Ireland and Scotland (but not Wales – of course not, why be consistent with your inconsistencies?), the major regional banks can print their own money. So in Scotland, the Bank of Scotland, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the Clydesdale Bank all print their own money, and that’s what I see and use 95% of the time. Occasionally an ATM (or Cashpoint as they’re known here) will give me a Bank of England note, but that is rare. Every shop and business in Scotland will accept all Scottish notes, and all Bank of England notes. But, not all English businesses will accept Scottish money. My young cousins in the south of England have to visit a bank branch to exchange their birthday money from their grandma in Scotland. In Canada, if you take Bank of England notes into a bank branch, you will have little trouble exchanging it for Canadian. But not so Scottish bills – those have to be sent away ‘on collection’.

Here are a couple of £20 notes. The woman on the Scottish bill is Kate Cranston, a prominent Glaswegian business woman in Victorian times, and I’m assuming you recognise the other lady.

No reason for sharing this – just a useless piece of trivia I thought you might enjoy.

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