Bank of England – 5 Pound

Great Britain needs no introduction and has Pound as it currency. Pound is still the most expensive 100 unit currency in the world.

Here is a 5 Pound banknote issued by the Bank of England. This is a 2002 dated issue actually from 2004 signed by Andrew Bailey. Pick # 391 c in UNC grade acquired from an auction on the Ebay in the month of July 2012 and arrived from Germany by post to Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Since 196o all the banknotes issued by Bank of England has Queen Elizabeth, the Second, on the front right. In 1952, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of the House of Windsor succeeded her father, King George VI, to be the Queen of Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth, the Second, has undoubted been one of the only personality of the world who has appeared in banknotes of more than 30 nations (Commonwealth Nations and British Colonies), one of the most appeared personality on the banknotes of the world.

Back of the banknote is depicting Elizabeth Fry, showing her reading to prisoners in Newgate Prison.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Fry (21 May 1780 – 12 October 1845), née Gurney, was an English prison reformer, social reformer and, as a Quaker, a Christian philanthropist. She has sometimes been referred to as the “angel of prisons”. Fry was a major driving force behind new legislation to make the treatment of prisoners more humane, and she was supported in her efforts by the reigning monarch.

Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London.

It was originally located at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777.

The prison was extended and rebuilt many times, and remained in use for over 700 years, from 1188 to 1902.