British £40 White Banknote Issued 1725

British pound banknotes were issued in early handwritten and engraved formats by the Bank of England, including this £40 White Banknote issued in 1725. This note forms part of the withdrawn historic series of British banknotes and represents an exceptionally high denomination for the early eighteenth century, typically used for major commercial, banking and institutional transactions.

This £40 paper banknote is printed in black ink on cream paper and is printed on one side only, with the reverse left blank. At the top of the note is an engraved Bank of England heading executed in elegant calligraphic script. To the upper left sits an engraved decorative cartouche featuring a classical female figure, a common early security motif on White Notes of this period.

The main body of the note contains the engraved and handwritten promise text stating that the Bank of England promises to pay the bearer the sum of Forty Pounds on demand. The place of issue is shown as London, with the date handwritten beneath the main text. A handwritten serial number appears near the upper section of the note.

At the lower left is an engraved ornamental scroll panel displaying the denomination “Forty” in stylised lettering. The lower portion of the note contains handwritten authorising signatures made on behalf of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, together with additional manuscript annotations typical of early eighteenth-century accounting and validation practices.

The reverse of this £40 White Banknote is unprinted, reflecting early Bank of England production methods. Security relied on paper quality, watermarks, engraved denomination panels, handwritten numbering and authorised signatures rather than a printed reverse design.

• Indicate the quantity of £40 banknotes you want to exchange

• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button

• Your online account now shows the exchange value

If you have additional notes and coins you wish to exchange, please follow the steps above. Once you are finished, head over to checkout to complete the transaction.

Please note that for rarer banknotes such as this, processing will take longer than 5 days as additional authenticity checks are required. Where only partial banknotes are available, all such notes are reviewed on receipt before we confirm acceptance for exchange.

For all high-value transactions, we will require valid identification in order to comply with Anti-Money Laundering Regulations (AMLR).

If you are looking to exchange old British banknotes, we provide a fast, secure and trusted UK service for exchanging withdrawn Bank of England notes, including rare White Banknotes from the eighteenth century. Many banks no longer accept early manuscript currency, but we specialise in exchanging discontinued British banknotes and paying you directly into your UK bank account.

Whether you hold a single historic £40 White Banknote or a collection of withdrawn British banknotes, our simple online system makes it easy to exchange your old currency safely and efficiently. Do not let your withdrawn £40 banknotes go to waste — add them to your account today and convert your old British banknotes into cash.