NOONANS: SPECIMEN BANKNOTES OF THE WORLD

Lot 24 - Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo

Almost 160 lots of Specimen Banknotes of the World will be sold on behalf of British Heart Foundation (BHF) at Noonans on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The collection, which was donated in albums to the BHF store in Edinburgh is expected to fetch in the region of £70,000.

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Chief Commercial Officer at British Heart Foundation, said: "We're hugely grateful to the donor for entrusting this extraordinary collection to British Heart Foundation. While donations of this scale and rarity are unusual, many people choose to donate special items to us knowing they can help make a lasting difference. Through our retail operation and eBay site, our teams are able to connect collectable treasures with passionate collectors who will cherish them for years to come. We're hugely grateful to Noonan's for their support with this particularly rare donation and ensuring the proceeds go towards lifesaving research. "This remarkable collection will help create a legacy that benefits both collectors and the millions of people affected by cardiovascular disease."

As Andrew Pattison, Head of Banknotes Department at Noonans commented: "Noonans are greatly honoured to be working with the British Heart Foundation to auction this tremendous group of specimen banknotes. Such a collection comes up so infrequently that collectors are certain to respond extremely positively. With rarities on offer from all over the world, we estimate the notes could be making their way to as many as fifty different countries. In addition, we are sure that our bidders will respond well to the fact that the sale proceeds are going to fund vital research and can be relied upon to go that little bit further on the day."

Among the highlights is an uncirculated and rare note bearing the portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II from the Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo which is estimated at £3,000-£4,000 [lot 24], while from the National Bank of Iraq is a an extremely rare example of a colour trial 10 Dinars note dating from 1947 with the serial number A000000 that carries an estimate of £3,000-£4,000 [lot 46]

Lot 56 - South African Reserve Bank

Lot 12 - Government of Fiji

A rare specimen 100 Riyal note from the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, dating from 1961 with serial number 5/000000 is estimated at £2,000-£3,000 [lot 116] and a particularly rare £100 note dating from 1952 from the South African Reserve Bank bearing the Afrikaans language and serial number 000000 is estimated at £1,200-£1,600 [lot 56]. An example of a colour trial of a £20 note from the Government of Fiji, also featuring a portrait of a young Elizabeth II and dating from 1953, with no serial numbers or signatures is expected to fetch £800-£1,200 [lot 12].

Lots 136 and 137

There is also a sizeable group of Scottish material, including two different hand painted designs for Royal Bank of Scotland notes that were never put into production. Each of the unique designs is housed in its own presentation album and shows workmanship of the highest quality. They are estimated at £500-£600 each. [lots 136+137].

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web