The Bank of England Fifty Pound note is legal tender in England and Wales, and by arrangement with the banks concerned, in Scotland and Northern Ireland as well.
A business person is entitled to refuse large denomination banknotes for small purchases, ie. a Fifty Pound note for a packet of Chewing Gum.
Although the Fifty Pound is legal tender in England and Wales and can be used to settle debts, Shopkeepers are entitled to refuse large banknotes for small purchases.
The first British Fifty Pound note was issued in 1725.
When does the old fifty pound note go out of circulation
The Bank of England first issued a regular Fifty Pound note in around 1725. The Bank of England issued the modern Fifty Pound note in 1981.
If you refer to Bank of England banknotes, those currently in circulation include the Five, Ten, Twenty and Fifty Pound notes.
The fifty pound Sterling note is the largest bank note in circulation in England.
A new Bank of England Fifty Pound note featuring Matthew Boulton and James Watt was issued into circulation on the 2nd of November, 2011. The older style Bank of England Fifty Pound note featuring Sir John Houblon will be progressively withdrawn from circulation at a date to be advised after a public announcement from the Bank of England.
British Pound denominations currently in circulation include - One Pound coin Two Pound coin Five Pound coin (legal tender and often found in circulation) Five Pound note Ten Pound note Twenty Pound note Fifty Pound note
The modern Fifty Pound note was introduced into the currency in 1981 to keep pace with the times and inflation. The introduction of a higher value banknote, such as the Fifty Pound note, relieves the pressure on the smaller banknotes such as the Ten and Twenty Pound notes. This means that the Ten and Twenty Pound notes will last longer in circulation and become relatively cheaper to produce and maintain in circulation due to a reduced demand for them.
The Bank of England Fifty Pound note will not be going out of circulation. The new Bank of England Fifty Pound note featuring Matthew Boulton and James Watt was issued for circulation on the 2nd of November, 2011. The Bank of England Fifty Pound note it replaces featuring Sir John Houblon will be withdrawn from circulation and demonetised after a publicity campaign by the Bank of England in due course.
The current British Fifty Pound notes are mostly red no matter which country they are in.
Although banknotes were printed, there are no British banknotes known to still exist from prior to 1775. If there was a "One Pound" note in 1642, it was most likely a hand written promissory note.