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20 Pounds Clydesdale Bank
| Issuer | Clydesdale Bank Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922-1947 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in blue and red, with the bank's name in large ornate script across the centre and the denomination '20' rendered in bold red numerals at upper left and upper right. A central vignette at the top shows a tree within an elaborate guilloche frame, flanked by the words 'GLASGOW' and 'CLYDESDALE'. The promise-to-pay text, date, serial number, and manuscript signatures of the General Manager and Accountant & Cashier appear in the lower portion against a fine blue underprint. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in blue and consists of an intricate guilloche pattern filling the whole surface, with the numeral '20' in large format at both left and right within lobed panels. At the centre, a circular vignette contains the bank's seal, showing a tree with a beehive at its base, enclosed by the legend 'THE CLYDESDALE BANK LIMITED', all surrounded by fine lathe-work rosettes. |
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| Comments |
Clydesdale Bank's long interwar and wartime series of £20 notes occupies an awkward position in Scottish banknote collecting — high face value meant restricted circulation, with most examples passing through commercial rather than retail hands. The practical consequence is that genuinely worn examples are harder to find than one might expect; notes of this denomination were typically handled carefully and returned to the bank promptly, leaving a survival pattern skewed toward lightly used rather than heavily circulated pieces.
The twenty-five year date span reflects reissue continuity rather than a single print run — Clydesdale retained the authority to issue its own notes under the Currency and Bank Notes Act 1928, which brought English notes under stricter control but left Scottish banks largely intact.