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1000 Pounds White
| Issuer | Bank of England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870-1943 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound sterling (1158-1970) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Bank of England I promise to pay the Bearer on demand the Sum of One Thousand Pounds London For the Govr. and Compa. of the Bank of England |
| Reverse description | Blank, unprinted white paper. |
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| Comments |
The "White Notes" — so called for their unprinted reverse and distinctive black letterpress face — were never intended for ordinary transactions. The £1,000 denomination circulated almost exclusively between banks and financial institutions for interbank settlement, and most returned to Threadneedle Street quickly. The Bank maintained a policy of destroying notes once returned, which is precisely why survivors of any white note denomination are exceptionally rare, and why the £1,000 is among the rarest of all.
The series was discontinued in 1943, when wartime counterfeit concerns prompted the withdrawal of all high-denomination whites. Operation Bernhard — the Nazi scheme to destabilize the British economy through forged notes — accelerated that decision.