Bank of England ten shilling note

Representing the smallest denomination banknote ever issued by the Bank of England, it originated during the First World War when Treasury notes were introduced to replace gold sovereigns. Following the return to the gold standard, the responsibility for printing ten shilling notes transferred to the Bank of England, which released its first notes in 1928.

The right to redeem the notes for gold ended in 1931 when Britain abandoned the gold standard. The denomination was printed until 1969 and officially demonetised on 22 November 1970, when it ceased to be legal tender in the United Kingdom, though English and Manx issues remained legal tender on the Isle of Man until 2013. Its withdrawal was prompted by inflation, which had reduced the note's circulation lifespan to around five months, as well as the approach of decimalisation, leading to its replacement by the fifty pence coin.

The initial 1928 notes were two-sided, red printed banknotes bearing the declaration "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of ten shillings". In 1940, following intelligence regarding German plans to forge sterling currency, the Bank introduced a metallic thread security feature and changed the colour scheme to mauve and grey. Post-war issues reverted to red, initially without the metallic thread until its reintroduction in October 1948. In 1961, the Series C note was introduced; this slightly longer and narrower design was the first ten shilling note to feature Queen Elizabeth II on the front, alongside the Bank of England logo on the reverse.