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20 Pounds Union Bank of Scotland
| Issuer | Union Bank of Scotland Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923-1947 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Orange and blue intaglio-printed note with a radiating guilloche underprint at centre. The bank's arms, supported by two allegorical female figures, form the principal vignette at the top, flanked by ornate panels bearing the denomination numeral '20'; equestrian statues on plinths occupy the lower left and right corners. The date and serial number are hand-stamped above the manuscript promise-to-pay text. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in blue and green, composed entirely of intricate guilloche lacework arranged in a symmetrical cartouche pattern. A large numeral '20' occupies the central medallion, encircled by the bank's name in a continuous ring, with elaborate paisley-style guilloche lobes radiating outward to a decorative border. |
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| Comments |
Union Bank of Scotland's higher denominations were always low-circulation instruments — the £20 saw most of its use in commercial and agricultural settlements rather than retail trade, and surviving examples from the 1923–1947 window are correspondingly scarce. Waterlow & Sons handled the printing throughout, as they did for a substantial portion of Scottish chartered bank production during this period.
Union Bank itself was absorbed into the Bank of Scotland in 1955, which triggered a systematic withdrawal and destruction of remaining stocks. Notes that escaped that process typically did so in ledger drawers and estate paperwork, not through active use.