An anonymous donation of 160 rare banknotes to a British Heart Foundation (BHF) shop in Edinburgh has raised more than £85,000 at auction, leaving staff 'flabbergasted'. The collection was handed in at the store, where the team initially had no idea of its potential value.
Staff initially unaware of value
Shop manager David McCormack said: "When the donation came into the shop, we all looked through the folders but didn’t know much about the banknotes, so we sent them to our eBay team in Leeds to investigate."
While thinking there might be something special about the banknotes, it was revealed that the collection consisted of almost 160 lots of rare specimen banknotes from around the world.
Rare notes from around the world
The collection featured specimen and trial banknotes from countries across the world, including a rare uncirculated note featuring a portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II, issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo. Other highlights included an extremely rare 1947 Iraqi 10 Dinars colour trial and a 1961 specimen 100 Riyal note from Saudi Arabia.
Mr McCormack added: "When we discovered their potential value, we were flabbergasted. It’s incredibly exciting to see a donation received by your shop raise such a significant amount for the charity, and we’re so proud the donor chose to give the collection to us."
Auction raises £85,860
The notes were eventually passed to specialist auction house Noonans, where they went under the hammer on Wednesday (October 14). The auction raised £85,860, marking a significant contribution towards the BHF's lifesaving work. Noonans also waived its vendor commission for the auction, helping ensure more of the proceeds would support the charity's work.
Allison Swaine-Hughes, the BHF's Chief Commercial Officer, said: "We are absolutely thrilled that this extraordinary collection has raised £85,860 for British Heart Foundation. We are incredibly grateful to the donor who chose to entrust these remarkable banknotes to us, and to our brilliant shop team in Edinburgh who recognised that there was something very special about this donation."
She added: "It's wonderful to think that a collection generously handed into one of our charity shops can go on to raise such a fantastic amount for lifesaving research. Every pound raised through our shops helps us fund lifesaving research, and this will help create a legacy that benefits both collectors and the millions of people affected by cardiovascular disease."
Andrew Pattison, Head of Banknotes Department at Noonans, said: "It was a great privilege to handle this exceptional group of specimens and trials on behalf of the British Heart Foundation. The biggest thanks must go to all our bidders, all of whom are passionate banknote collectors."
He added: "Material of this quality is extremely rare, and collectors all over the world have responded extremely well, with many of the notes selling for that little bit more than normal on account of the charitable nature of the sale. Everyone at Noonans would like to thank the British Heart Foundation for their trust and for allowing us to be involved in this enterprise. To see the notes achieve such exceptional results, knowing that the proceeds will go towards funding vital and far-reaching research, is hugely gratifying to all involved."
