SOME of the rarest and most collectable notes held by NatWest are being auctioned to help ease the pressures of the current cost-of-living crisis for those most in need.
Hundreds of notes are set to go under the hammer with a face value of around £21k, with the world’s leading auctioneer of collectable bank notes Spink, estimating the auctions could raise over £400k.
The first of three auctions is being held on 29 November 2022 with the proceeds donated to the Trussell Trust, whose network of more than 1,300 food bank centres supports people across the UK who are unable to afford the essentials.
Some of the most collectable notes are also the newest and are estimated at £1,800 each.
A never circulated Royal Bank of Scotland £50 polymer note with the serial number AA888888 featuring Flora Stevenson and Randolph Crescent in Edinburgh has a top estimated value of £1,800.
Low serial numbers are also desirable for collectors and the majority of these notes are set to raise around ten times their face value.
The auctions will feature notes from the Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank, the historic National Bank of Scotland and the Bank of England.
Some of the more historic notes date back over 100 years to the First World War and include a Bank of England 10 Shilling note from 1919.
NatWest also offers customers the opportunity to donate to a range of charities including the Trussell Trust, through MyRewards. For Giving Tuesday, NatWest will match customer donations up to £50 made through the online portal.
NatWest has recently given £1.25m to the Help Through Hardship Helpline to which the Trussell Trust are partners.
Richard Talbot, Head of Cash & Self-Service at NatWest, said: “We have been a long-term supporter of the Trussell Trust and we are glad to be building further upon that support to help those most in need with the current cost of living crisis.”
Emma Revie, Chief Executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “We are very grateful to the team at Natwest for their incredible support.
“As we enter the winter period, more people are likely to need a food bank’s help and food banks across our network face providing over 7,000 food parcels to people in crisis every day throughout December.
“But ultimately, no one in the UK should need a food bank – all of us should have enough money for the essentials like food, clothing and heating.
“The support of Natwest will help food banks within our network continue to provide the lifeline of emergency support for local people in crisis, while we work in the long term to end the need for food banks, for good.”
Arnas Savickas, Head of Banknotes Europe/USA at Spink, said: “We are proud to know that the money raised will be tremendously beneficial to those in need.”
Subsequent auctions will be held on 16 December 2022 with a further auction planned for 19 January next year.
