New 20 Pounds Polymer Note From The Bank of England

The Bank of England the new £20 polymer notes featuring artist J.M.W. Turner. The new notes are in circulation from February 20, 2020. As per the bank spokesperson with advanced security features, this is its most secure banknote ever printed. The new £20 is the third polymer banknote to be issued by the Bank of England. One of the main reasons to convert the 20pound banknote is counterfeiting, as per Bank of England, 88% of reported counterfeit banknotes in the UK are £20 bills.

The new 20 Pounds banknote featuring a self-portrait of the artist J.M.W. Turner and it replaces the paper bill with the picture of Adam Smith, which has been in circulation since 2007. The new polymer note also shows his famous painting “The Fighting Temeraire”.

Joseph Mallord William Turner was born in Covent Garden on April 23, 1775. At the age of 15, Turner became a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and in 1790 his watercolor was accepted for the academy’s summer exhibition. On 19th December 1851 J.M.W. Turner died in London at the age of 76. In his lifetime, Turner produced more than 550 oil paintings, 2,000+ watercolor paintings, and over 30,000 sketches and drawings. In Memory of this 19th century great artist, The Turner Prize presented to the best British visual artist since 1984. Malcolm Morley is the first artist to revive the Turner Prize in 1984.

The Special security features in the new 2 Pounds polymer notes are;

• Image Changing Hologram- Tilt the note from side to side. Check the words change between ‘Twenty’ and ‘Pounds’.
• See-through windows – A metallic image over the main window. The foil is blue and gold on the front of the note and silver on the back.
• See-through Queen’s portrait – Queen’s portrait is printed on the window with ‘£20 Bank of England’ printed twice around the edge.
• 3D image of the coronation crown on a silver foil patch above the see-through window on the front of the note.
• On the back of the note – directly behind the silver crown which is on the front, a round purple foil patch contains the letter ‘T’
• The number ’20’ appears in bright red and green on the front of the note under ultra-violet light.
• ‘Light is therefore colour’ is a quote from a lecture Turner gave in 1818 and a reference to his innovative use of light, shade, color, and tone.
• Turner’s signature is from his Will. And many more.

As per the Bank of England, there are currently two billion £20 notes in circulation. The old paper £20 is still valid and the bank will give six months’ notice ahead of its legal tender status is withdrawn. The new £20 note is the first to have the signature of the Bank’s current chief cashier, Sarah John.