How do you find the age of banknotes?

Answer 1

Many banknotes have their date of issue printed on them. This is not the same as an exact age of the note, just an indication of the series/design of the note. Many issuing banks include the signatures of the bank governor or government treasurer and as these people are replaced over time, these can be used to narrow down the issue dates.

Where notes do not have a printed date or signatures, the only recourse is to one of the catalogues of banknotes, which include pictures, descriptions and identifying marks of most world notes. The most common, general reference is the 'Standard Catalog of World Paper Money', published by Krause Publications, which is updated frequently.

Answer 2

On the old white single sided Bank of England banknotes, the full date is printed in the middle, forwards and backwards.

On the newer double sided coloured Bank of England banknotes, the date is not printed. To successfully identify the year of printing of a Bank of England banknote, you would need the type and design of banknote, the name of the Chief Cashier and the serial number.

On the most recent Bank of England banknotes, there is a copyright message followed by a year, which can be used as a rough guide. You will still need the type and design of banknote, the name of the Chief Cashier and the serial number.