The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
New tenner celebrates Austen
Jane Austen will feature on new Bank of England note
A new Bank of England £10 note celebrating Jane Austen has been unveiled by the Bank of England on the 200th anniversary of the author’s death.
The new tenner, which will be issued on September 14, is the first Bank of England banknote with a tactile feature to help blind and partially-sighted users.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney unveiled the design of the new £10 banknote at Winchester Cathedral, where the Pride And Prejudice and Sense And Sensibility author was buried after her death in 1817.
The design of the new note includes a portrait of Austen commissioned by her family, Austen’s writing table and a quote from Pride And Prejudice.
Mr Carney said: “Our banknotes serve as repositories of the country’s collective memory, promoting awareness of the United Kingdom’s glorious history and highlighting the contributions of its greatest citizens.”
Like the £5 notes already in circulation, the new Bank of England £10 banknote is made from polymer.
It is expected to last at least two-and-ahalf times longer than current paper £10 notes and stay in better condition during day-to-day use.
People can continue to spend the existing paper £10 notes, which will be phased out gradually as they are banked.
The transition to polymer has sparked controversy after the Bank confirmed that an “extremely small amount” of animal fat was used to produce polymer pellets, which were part of the production process for creating the notes.