5 Pounds - Elizabeth II Series C, portrait

The Series C £5 marked the Bank of England's first use of a royal portrait on its notes since the seventeenth century — a deliberate move toward modernisation that had been debated internally for years before the Bank finally acted. Reynolds Stone, better known as a wood engraver and letter-cutter, produced the Queen's portrait, an unusual commission for a man whose reputation rested on private press work and typeface design rather than intaglio banknote engraving.

Three chief cashiers signed across the note's lifespan: Hollom, Fforde, and Page. Hollom-signed examples from the earliest print runs are the most sought-after within the series.