Currency index

Australian dollar | Canadian dollar | Chinese Yuan | Swiss franc | Euro | Pound Sterling | Japanese yen | Turkish lira | United States Dollar

Follow currencyguide.eu

Advertisements

Twenty Pound Sterling polymer note

20 pound sterling polymer note

Quick links to banknotes
Current banknotes in circulation:
Five Pound Sterling polymer note Ten Pound Sterling polymer note Fifty Pound Sterling polymer note

Withdrawn banknotes:
Five Pound Sterling series E Ten Pound Sterling series V Twenty Pound Sterling note Fifty Pound Sterling note Fifty Pound Sterling series E

Description:
Size: 139 x 73mm
Main color: Purple
Date of issue: 20 February 2020

20 Pound sterling polymer note obverse 20 Pound sterling polymer note reverse

The new polymer £20 banknote, featuring self-portrait of artist J. M. W. Turner, known as William Turner entered circulation on 20 February 2020. He was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolorist. The design includes a version of Turner's The Fighting Temeraire, the quote "Light is therefore color" from an 1818 lecture by Turner, and a copy of Turner's signature as made on his will.

Security Features

Security features can help you to tell if a polymer £20 note is fake or real.

new 20 pound polymer specimen obverse new 20 pound polymer specimen reverse

(1) Hologram image

twenty pound Hologram image

Tilt the note from side to side. Check the words change between 'Twenty' and 'Pounds'.

(2) See-through windows

20 Pound Sterling polymer See-through windows

Look at the metallic image over the main window. Check the foil is blue and gold on the front of the note and silver on the back.
Look at the second, smaller window in the bottom corner of the £20 note.

(3) The Queen's portrait in the see-through window

20 pounds banknote polymer Queen's portrait

A portrait of the Queen is printed on the window with '£20 Bank of England’ printed twice around the edge.

(4)Silver foil patch

20 Pound note Silver foil

A silver foil patch contains a 3D image of the coronation crown. You will find this above the main see-through window on the front of the note.

(5) Purple foil patch

20 Pound polymer Purple foil patch

A round, purple foil patch contains the letter 'T'. You will find this on the reverse of the note, behind the silver crown on the obverse of the note.

(6) Feel of polymer and raised print

£20 polymer note raised print

The note is printed on polymer, which is a thin and flexible plastic material. On the front of the note, you can feel raised print. For example, on the words ‘Bank of England’ and in the bottom right corner, over the smaller window.

(7) Print quality

20 Pound polymer Print quality

The printed lines and colors on the note are sharp, clear and free from smudges or blurred edges. If you use a magnifying glass, you will see the value of the note written in small letters and numbers below the Queen's portrait.

(8) Ultra-violet number

20 Pound Sterling polymer note UV light

Under a good quality ultra-violet light, the number '20' appears in bright red and green on the front of the note, against a duller background.

(9) Tactile feature

20 Pound polymer Raised dots

There is a tactile feature to assist vision-impaired people.

Check this video of real vs fake 20 pound note



Sources:
bankofengland.co.uk
wikipedia.org