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20 Pounds Northern Bank
| Issuer | Northern Bank Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1970-1988 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in shades of blue and violet on a light guilloche ground, with two large symmetrical rosette vignettes flanking the central design. At centre, the bank's heraldic griffin logo is rendered in intaglio within a circular ring of dots, the creature shown rampant and holding a banner. The denomination '£20' appears in bold type at lower left and lower right, with the bank title lettered in a bold serif typeface along the lower margin. |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Protection description | the Northern Bank griffin logo visible when held to light |
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| Comments |
Northern Bank was one of the four principal note-issuing commercial banks in Northern Ireland, operating under the authorization framework that permitted private issuance backed by Bank of England notes held in reserve. The £20 denomination entered circulation in 1970 as Northern Ireland's economy required higher-value notes for everyday commercial use — the timing coincided with a period of significant political upheaval that would make secure, confident note design a practical priority rather than a cosmetic one.
Bradbury Wilkinson's New Malden facility produced the series across an eighteen-year span, with four distinct signature combinations marking management transitions at the bank. The Roberts and Torrens signatures appear on the shortest-lived date issues, with the 1988 Torrens note effectively closing out the series before Northern Bank moved to updated designs.