A £5 note with a rare printing error has sold for nearly £100 on eBay after a bidding war erupted because part of the design was missing. The 2024 polymer note, which features Queen Elizabeth II, fetched £97.08 after 13 bids, as only the Queen's portrait is visible while the rest of the front design—including the text 'Bank of England'—failed to print.
Bidding war drives price to nine times face value
The auction began at £18.60 on eBay, with the listing describing the note as a 'partial misprint on AK45, where the centre part of Queen Elizabeth side has no print. 100 percent genuine polymer.' The winning bid of £97.08, plus £2.72 postage, was placed on Saturday, May 9, meaning the note sold for over nine times its original value. Collectors expect the error to prompt Britons to check their change for similar mistakes.
Background on polymer £5 notes
The Bank of England first introduced polymer £5 notes in 2016, featuring Queen Elizabeth II on one side and Winston Churchill on the other. Following the Queen's death, notes with King Charles III's portrait entered circulation on June 5, 2024. However, Queen Elizabeth II notes remain legal tender and co-circulate alongside the new King Charles III notes.
According to the eBay listing, the misprint occurred on the Queen's side of the note, where the central print area is blank. The Bank of England has not commented on the rarity of such errors, but collectors often pay premiums for misprinted currency.
