The Royal Bank of Scotland issued a commemorative £5 to mark the 500th anniversary of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, which received its founding Seal of Cause from the Edinburgh Town Council in 1505 — making it one of the oldest surgical corporations in the world. The note circulated as legal tender in Scotland alongside the standard polymer-era issues but was produced in cotton paper rather than the polymer substrate RBS later adopted.
Commemorative £5 notes from RBS tend to see limited genuine circulation; collectors pull them almost immediately, which means worn examples are actually the harder find.
The Royal Bank of Scotland issued a commemorative £5 to mark the 500th anniversary of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, which received its founding Seal of Cause from the Edinburgh Town Council in 1505 — making it one of the oldest surgical corporations in the world. The note circulated as legal tender in Scotland alongside the standard polymer-era issues but was produced in cotton paper rather than the polymer substrate RBS later adopted.
Commemorative £5 notes from RBS tend to see limited genuine circulation; collectors pull them almost immediately, which means worn examples are actually the harder find.