Australian-Coins Forum

World Coins, Banknotes and Exonumia => World Banknotes => Topic started by: WavyTwenty on September 26, 2022, 02:33:17 PM

Title: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: WavyTwenty on September 26, 2022, 02:33:17 PM
In the UK, the paper £20 note with economist Adam Smith and the old £50 note portraying entrepreneur Matthew Boulton and the engineer James Watt, will be demonetized on Sept. 30, 2022 (https://www.coinworld.com/news/paper-money/currency-changes-underway-in-england-spain)

They will be all polymer after this point in time.  Even we didn't demonetize any of our decimal notes, interesting that they did this. Maybe counterfeiting is a real problem for them.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: redlock on September 26, 2022, 03:27:36 PM
Is ''demonetize'' is correct word? The paper notes are being withdrawn.
The old paper notes can still be exchanged at the Bank of England after September 30th.
See:
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/exchanging-old-banknotes
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: gweidion on September 26, 2022, 06:07:20 PM
Very few countries actually demonetise any of their currency. Usually because it leads to distrust of the currency and distrust leads to collapse. If you can't trust the currency you won't want to hold the currency. Unless of course you are a banknote collector in which case it doesn't matter.
It happened in PNG, they demonetised their paper currency from 2014 if I recall correctly.  
Hyper inflation kills fiat currency too.

The only "sensible" country I know of that demonetised any of it's currency was New Zealand who demonitised their 5 cent piece in an effort to get as many back as they could to melt them down.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: Sapyx on September 26, 2022, 06:18:09 PM
The Bank of England has never revoked or cancelled its "promise to pay the bearer on demand" for any of the notes it has ever issued. If you go into the Bank offices and request to exchange or redeem your old notes, whether they be from 1960 or 1660, they will do so, once they are convinced the notes are genuine.

But the Bank of England does have a process of "demonetization", meaning old, obsolete notes are no longer legal tender. In other words, attempting to pay a debt with one would no longer be considered a legally binding attempt to pay the debt. Also, they are no longer re-issued by the banks upon receipt. Or in other-other words, while the Bank may still consider them to be money, the British parliament (which gets to decide what is legal tender, and what isn't) does not.

In Australia, we don't "demonetize" notes, in the sense that our notes remain legal tender after being withdrawn. Every note ever issued by the Commonwealth Bank and by the Reserve Bank is still legal tender. However, we do do that second part of the process: withdrawing and not re-issuing.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: Sapyx on September 26, 2022, 06:39:10 PM
Quote from: 'gweidion' pid='127086' dateline='1664181440'Very few countries actually demonetise any of their currency. Usually because it leads to distrust of the currency and distrust leads to collapse. If you can't trust the currency you won't want to hold the currency. Unless of course you are a banknote collector in which case it doesn't matter.
It happened in PNG, they demonetised their paper currency from 2014 if I recall correctly.  
Hyper inflation kills fiat currency too.


The only "sensible" country I know of that demonetised any of it's currency was New Zealand who demonitised their 5 cent piece in an effort to get as many back as they could to melt them down.

Switzerland is one country that routinely demonetizes its notes - after 20 years following the official withdrawal date of a note, all notes issued by Switzerland are not only not legal tender, they are not redeemable - meaning they have zero face value and are effectively worthless except as collectables. This has the effect of forcing everybody to use the Swiss banking system, rather than hide cash under the proverbial mattress. Though in 2020, they made an exception for the series of notes from the 1970s, withdrawn in 2000 and which should have become worthless in 2020; these now have an "unlimited" redemption time.

The Swiss franc doesn't seem to suffer much from this feature, primarily because it is the Swiss banks, rather than the Swiss physical currency, that people all over the world put their faith in. Nor does this complete lack of face value seem to deter people from collecting older Swiss notes, even paying over full face value for them.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: nealeffendi on September 26, 2022, 08:57:16 PM
@Sapyx, if the Swiss notes still have 20 years to redeem after withdrawal then it wouldn't be hard to mattress stuff them and slowly (20 years) to convert them outside the banking system. Also sensible people no longer fully trust the Swiss banks these days as their old policy of discretion is history and they blab to the IRS and others.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: WavyTwenty on September 27, 2022, 02:35:37 PM
Quote from: 'redlock' pid='127084' dateline='1664171856'Is ''demonetize'' is correct word? The paper notes are being withdrawn.
The old paper notes can still be exchanged at the Bank of England after September 30th.
See:
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/exchanging-old-banknotes

Yes, you are correct.  And I agree, it is a pretty harsh word.

I suppose that you could say that Australian Pounds and Pence are not demonetized as they can be taken into the bank to be changed for decimal currency. Unlike the Holy Dollar and Dumps that they bank wont exchange for decimal currency.

I think I found it interesting that they didn't say they are being replaced, but rather are not accepted at retail shops and only can be swapped by banks.  I would think/hope that the banks wouldn't get caught out with counterfeit ones.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: JeffH on October 11, 2022, 12:59:17 PM
QuoteI suppose that you could say that Australian Pounds and Pence are not demonetized as they can be taken into the bank to be changed for decimal currency. Unlike the Holy Dollar and Dumps that they bank wont exchange for decimal currency.

My (ex)bank teller wife says she will happily change holey dollars and dumps at face value -even a bit more than face value if you ask nicely and, if you post them to her, she will cover the postage cost. Her offer extends to any Spanish dollar, centre punched or not as well as the dumps/plugs.

Holey dollar (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holey_dollar)

The tellers at our local bank branch always keep any round 50¢ and pre-decimal silver coins that come across the counter and put the face value in decimal currency into the coin/note drawer.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: gweidion on October 12, 2022, 07:37:21 PM
Quote from: 'JeffH' pid='127149' dateline='1665455357'The tellers at our local bank branch always keep any round 50¢ and pre-decimal silver coins that come across the counter and put the face value in decimal currency into the coin/note drawer.

That's the reason why I would have still liked to work at the bank. That and watching your interest accumulate daily.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: JeffH on October 13, 2022, 06:34:55 AM
The interest accumulation on my savings account last month was a princely 13¢ -average daily accumulation 0.433............¢!
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: gweidion on October 13, 2022, 11:28:24 AM
Quote from: 'JeffH' pid='127158' dateline='1665605095'The interest accumulation on my savings account last month was a princely 13¢ -average daily accumulation 0.433............¢!

Thirteen cents... wow, lifestyles of the rich and famous.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: JeffH on October 13, 2022, 11:53:45 AM
You must be confusing me with someone else. I am neither rich or famous.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: brismike on October 23, 2022, 08:55:31 PM
I exchanged £480 in paper UK 20 pound notes in the Post Office at Crossgates in Leeds on 10/10/2022 for new polymer notes. No problem at all.

Mike
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: redlock on October 24, 2022, 04:35:41 PM
Quote from: 'brismike' pid='127217' dateline='1666520731'I exchanged £480 in paper UK 20 pound notes in the Post Office at Crossgates in Leeds on 10/10/2022 for new polymer notes.

May I ask which denominations you got or asked for? £10, £20, £50?
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: brismike on October 25, 2022, 08:05:54 AM
I exchanged like for like. They were all £20's.

Mike
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: redlock on October 25, 2022, 04:03:01 PM
Quote from: 'brismike' pid='127226' dateline='1666647354'I exchanged like for like. They were all £20's.

Mike

Ah, the most popular denomination in the UK.
Thanks for the information. :thank_you:
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: ken-a on June 17, 2024, 12:11:27 AM
Recently Redlock asked me to get him a set of new banknotes with KCIII on them so I the exchange via the post with the Bank of England and I did include as part payment an old paper £20 that my mom who lives in the USA set over to me since she had it leftover from her last trip to the UK.

Bank of England put a limit of £300 for the exchange.

I have only seen a £50 twice since moving to the UK back in 1998.

Once in 2005 when my son got paid to do some garden work and asked me exchange him some smaller notes for it since he was not happy that the local pub would not accept it and just now when the KCIII £50 note arrived for Redlock.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: gweidion on June 17, 2024, 08:45:55 PM
Have you got a link for the new KCIII pound notes by any chance? Haven't seen any media on them at all.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: redlock on June 18, 2024, 03:10:51 PM
Quote from: 'gweidion' pid='129351' dateline='1718622955'Have you got a link for the new KCIII pound notes by any chance? Haven't seen any media on them at all.

See:
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/current-banknotes
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/king-charles-banknotes
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: gweidion on June 20, 2024, 07:16:05 PM
ooh, thanks very much Ralf.
Title: RE: Demonetizing notes in the UK
Post by: Tanecoins on July 20, 2025, 08:57:13 PM
[quote="JeffH" pid='127158' dateline='1665605095']
The interest accumulation on my savings account last month was a princely 13¢ -average daily accumulation 0.433............¢!
[/quote]

Even I agree with this statement when you have 6 figures $315.00 a month on $143,000, really does not seem that much even after 20% tax has been removed. Thats like $10.16 a day on six figure sum. It would take like 50 years at least for it to become a cool million. Meanwhile my $50k spend on gold between late 2023 and mid 2024 is now close to $100k.