British 10 Pounds

The pound sterling is the official currency of the United Kingdom, Jersey, England, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the British Antarctic Territory, and Tristan da Cunha. The pound was a unit of account in Anglo-Saxon England, and its origins date back to the reign of King Offa of Mercia (757–796). Almost 50 years after the Bank of England was founded in 1694; the first banknote was printed in denominations of £10 notes in 1759, followed by £5 in 1793 and £1 and £2 in 1797. In 1855, a new series was introduced in denominations of £5, £10, £20, £50, £100, £200, £300, £500, and £1000. Already in more recent times, The Bank of England introduced a polymer banknote series in denominations of £5 in 2016, followed by £10 in 2017, £20 in 2020, and £50 in 2021. The Bank of England oversees the monetary policy of the pound sterling and regulates the amount of money in circulation. Official currency symbol: £/p (pre-decimal).

The 10 British pound note front design features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 other commonwealth realms), on a background with line pattern and replications number ten in the lower right; at the center is an illustration of the Bank of England with Coat of Arms of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The design is completed with a window seal of the Queen’s portrait, a holographic seal of the Royal Crown, a stylized image of Big Ben (Elizabeth’s Tower) with a writing feather, and the Bank of England seal. The reverse of the note shows the portrait of Jane Austen (1775-1817), who was a renowned English novelist for six major novels: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1816), Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both in 1818. In the background is presented an illustration of Elizabeth Bennet, a character from Pride and Prejudice, and Godmersham Park House (estate owned by Jane Austen’s brother). The design is completed with a window seal of the Queen’s portrait, a stylized image of Big Ben (Elizabeth’s Tower) with a writing feather, a holographic seal of an open book, and the Bank of England seal. This note is part of the 2017 – 2020 series, and its color is brown.

Text: Bank of England, I PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND THE SUM OF TEN POUNDS, Ten Pounds, BLENHEIM, LONDON FOR THE GOVERNOR AND COMPANY OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND, CHIEF CASHIER, I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading, Jane Austen 1775 – 1817, £10.