New harder-to-forge £10 note enters circulation
LONDON: The Bank of England’s (BoE) new £10 note entered circulation yesterday, and with it the most advanced features seen yet on United Kingdom bills.
The new tenners (as they are known) are the second denomination printed on polymer by the BoE and are expected to last at least 2.5 times longer than paper notes.
The bills — which have no fewer than eight visible security features to deter counterfeiters— depict the early 19th-century author Jane Austen on the reverse, along with other images from her life. They also have features that accommodate the blind and partially sighted.
Among the new £10 note’s security features are an image of Winchester Cathedral, in gold foil on the front and silver on the back. That’s where Austen is buried and where BoE governor Mark Carney unveiled the new note.
The image of a quill, a clear nod to Austen’s renown as an author, changes from purple to orange depending on the angle of the bill.
A book-shaped copper foil patch contains Austen’s initials, and the words “Bank of England” are printed in raised ink, known as intaglio.
The note also has two holograms, one containing the word “Ten,” which changes to “Pounds” when it’s tilted, and the other of a crown.
Beyond any aesthetic controversy, the new banknotes have physical characteristics to assist the disabled.
A series of raised dots in the top left-hand corner, as well as raised print and differing colours, are meant to help blind and partially sighted users.
While the new tenners start flowing into wallets, Britons still have time to spend the old Darwin version, which will gradually be withdrawn as they are deposited in banks.
The old notes will remain an acceptable form of cash until early next year.