A £5 note with a rare printing error has sold for almost £100 after collectors spotted part of the design was missing, sparking a bidding war on eBay
A £5 note has sold for almost £100 after sparking a bidding war – because part of the print is missing. The 2024 note sold for £97.08 on eBay because it features a rare ink error, as the design on the front of the bank note, which depicts Queen Elizabeth II, has not been printed properly.
Only the Queen’s portrait is visible and the remainder of the design, which should include the text ‘Bank of England’, is missing. The rare partial misprint error is thought to have made the note’s value rise and sparked 13 bids on the item.
The listing reads: “Please observe this partial misprint on AK45, where the centre part of Queen Elizabeth side has no print. 100 percent genuine polymer.”
One keen collector snapped up the note for £97.08 plus £2.72 postage on Saturday, May 9, after bidding started at just £18.60. That means the note was sold for a little over nine times its shop value and will be sure to have Brits checking their change for the same error.
Polymer £5 notes featuring Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill were first introduced into circulation by the Bank of England in 2016. Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, banknotes featuring a portrait of King Charles III were first issued on June 5 2024.
Banknotes that feature the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II will remain legal tender and are co-circulating alongside King Charles III notes.
