Scottish Banknotes

[3s_a_crowd]

I travel extensively and never have trouble with currency until I get back to the UK. The big problem here seems to be that everyone will readily slip Scottish banknotes into your change but most places seem reluctant to accept them as payment. Why is this ?

[sft42]

Because in general the English, and it gets worse the further south you go, tend to thing that the country begins and ends for all practical purposes at their borders......I bet without Googling or using some form of search most of the english users on the sote won't know how many banks in the UK actually issue Sterling......I remember my dad once being told by a london cabbie that his Scottish �10 note was only worth �8 to him cause of all the hassle....utter rubbish as their isn't a bank in the UK that will refuse to accept any of the legal tenders as a lodgement, or to swap them into another denomination.

[5029]

but try getting a shop in England to accept Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank or Northern Bank notes! Often we have to change our notes to English ones before we visit! stupid i think as we are all the same currency!

[ulrika]

I recently arrived back in the UK at Gatwick airport with only Scottish and Euro notes. My taxi driver accepted payment in Euros telling me that he wouldn't accept Scottish as that was 'foreign money'.

[templeman]

Interestingly, Scottish banknotes have never been 'legal tender' even in Scotland, neither have Bank of England notes been legal tender in Scotland.
This Scottish parliament web site will explain.
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/research/briefin
gs-03/sb03-51.pdf

[rja211077]

very interesting...but doesn't help me much when i go 'home' to England and the pubs won't take my cash - grrr...

[RCP]

Not relevant as such but I have just had to go to the bank to get Sterling as I'm going home for the weekend. Get the bl��dy euro will you!

[coinreporter]

Anyone willing to tell me of their experiences? I'm doing a story about Scottish banknotes still circulating over the coins for a US-based coin magazine, Coin World.
Please e-mail me.
[Email address removed as per site policy. - AB Editor]