Value £10 Height 75 mm | Width 142 mm Paper type Cotton | |
Security features Raised print, metallic thread, watermark, microlettering, UV feature Years of printing 1727–present
1987–present (current design) | ||
The Royal Bank of Scotland £10 note, also known as a tenner, is a banknote of the pound sterling. It is the third smallest denomination of banknote issued by The Royal Bank of Scotland. The current cotton note, first issued in 1987 bears an image of Lord Ilay, one of the founders of the bank, on the obverse and a vignette of Glamis Castle on the reverse. A new polymer note featuring a portrait of scientist Mary Somerville on the front and a pair of otters on the reverse will begin circulating later in 2017.
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History
The Royal Bank of Scotland began issuing £10 notes in 1727, the same year as the bank's founding. Early banknotes were monochrome, and printed on one side only. The issuing of banknotes by Scottish banks was regulated by the Banknote (Scotland) Act 1845 until it was superseded by the Banking Act 2009. Though strictly not legal tender in Scotland, Scottish banknotes are nevertheless legal currency and are generally accepted throughout the United Kingdom. Scottish banknotes are fully backed such that holders have the same level of protection as those holding genuine Bank of England notes. The £10 note is currently the third smallest denomination of banknote issued by The Royal Bank of Scotland.
The current Ilay series of banknotes was first issued in 1987. These banknotes feature a portrait of Lord Ilay, first governor of the bank, on the front. Lord Ilay's image is also used as a watermark on the notes. Other design elements include the bank's coat of arms and logo, the facade of the bank's headquarters in Edinburgh, and a pattern representing the ceiling of the headquarters' banking hall. All of the Ilay series notes feature a castle on the back. On the reverse of the £10 note is an image of Glamis Castle.
In 2015 it was announced that a new polymer £10 note will be issued in 2017. The new design was unveiled in April 2016, and features a portrait of scientist Mary Somerville on the front. Alongside the portrait will be an image of Burntisland beach, as well as a quote from Somerville's work The Connection of the Physical Sciences. The rear of the note will bear an image of two otters alongside an excerpt from Norman MacCaig's poem Moorings.
Designs
Information taken from The Committee of Scottish Bankers website.