Rare King Charles banknotes sell for more than £900,000 at auction – exact codes that reveal if yours is valuable

A SERIES of banknotes bearing the face of King Charles III have sold to collectors for over £900,000.

The notes, among the first produced for the Bank of England (BoE), were sold at a set of charityauctions held by Spink and Son.

New notes featuring the face of King Charles started entering circulation in June, with each note given a unique serial number to identify and code it.

But those with low serial numbers are highly sought after by collectors and can sell for giant sums.

At the series of charity auctions held by Spink and Son since June, a number of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes with these low serial numbers sold for a combined £914,127.

Throughout the four auctions, one sheet of £50 notes went for a whopping £26,000, breaking a previous BoE record for the highest lot sold in a banknote auction.

A separate auction saw a single £10 note with the serial number “HB01 000002” sell for £17,000.

Sarah John, chief cashier and executive director of banking at the Bank of England, said: “I am thrilled that the auctions and public ballot of low-numbered King Charles III banknotes have raised a remarkable £914,127 that will be donated to 10 charities chosen by Bank of England staff.

“Each charity does incredible work and the monies raised will have a positive impact on people across the UK.”

Among the charities receiving a share of the more than £900,000 are the Trussell Trust, Carers UK, Child Bereavement UK and Shout.

SERIAL NUMBERS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Arnas Savickas, head of banknotes at Spink and Son, previously told The Sun the following notes and serial numbers were the rarest and typically most valuable:

• £5: CA 01 000003
• £10: HB 01 000002
• £20: EH 01 000002
• £50: AJ 01 000003

If you manage to stumble across a note with one of the above serial numbers, the chances are it will be worth thousands of pounds.

But you might still fetch a decent amount for one with a slightly higher serial number.

During the Spink and Son auctions, a rare £5 note with the serial number CA 01 000005 sold for £7,000.

Meanwhile, a rare £20 note with the serial number EH 01 000004 sold to a collector for £4,500.

Arnas previously told The Sun the notes that sold at its four auctions are unlikely to make their way into general circulation though.

This is because collectors tend not to sell on any notes they have snapped up.

However, that’s not to say one won’t definitely end up in your spare change at some point.

You might also stumble upon a note with a higher serial number that didn’t sell at the Spink and Son auctions and could still be worth a lot.

Last month, a King Charles £20 note with the serial number EH01 053900 sold for £245 on eBay after receiving 11 bids.

While banknotes with low serial numbers are usually the most sought after, that’s not always the case.

Arnas said if you stumble on one with an eight at the end of the serial number or a block of eights, it could fetch a lot.

Serial numbers with solid blocks are worth a lot to collectors too. So, if you find one with a serial number ending in 111111, for example.

OTHER VALUABLE NOTES

Some Jane Austen £5 notes, which came out in 2017, can fetch decent sums, with plenty of collectors keen on them.

Serial numbers 16 121775 and 18 071817 are particularly valuable because they are the author’s birth and death dates.

Also, the £20 notes released in 2020 featuring artist JMW Turner, so serial numbers with his birth date – 1775 – can sell for big amounts.

If you find one starting with an A that also includes his birth date that should be worth even more.

For example, one special serial number to keep an eye out for is 1775 1851 which combines the painter’s birth and death date.

There are also sets of serial numbers that always prove popular regardless of who is on the note, for instance, 007 for James Bond or AK47.

AK47 notes have been listed for as much as £160,000 but most have been selling for about £100.

HOW TO SELL A RARE NOTE OR COIN

It is not just rare banknotes that exist, but rare coins as well.

There are three ways you can sell either of the legal tender – on eBay, Facebook, or at auction.

If you’re selling on Facebook, there are risks attached.

Some sellers have previously been targeted by scammers who say they want to buy a rare note or coin and ask for money up front to pay for a courier to pick it up.

But the courier is never actually sent and you’re left out of pocket.

Rather than doing this, it’s always best to meet a Facebook seller in person when buying or selling a rare note or coin.

Ensure it’s a public meeting spot that’s in a well-lit area and if you can, avoid using payment links.

Most sellers prefer to deal with cash directly when meeting to ensure it’s legitimate.

The safest way to sell a rare coin or note is more than likely at auction.

You can organise this with The Royal Mint’s Collectors Service.

It has a team of experts who can help you authenticate and value your coin.

You can get in touch via email and a member of the valuation team will get back to you.

You will be charged for the service though – the cost varies depending on the size of your collection.

You can also sell rare coins and notes on eBay.

But always bear in mind, you will only make what the buyer is willing to pay at that time.

You can search for the same note or coin as you have to see how much the same one has sold for on the website previously.

This can help give you an indication of how much you should sell it for.

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