When were the new £10 notes released, why’s Jane Austen featured on the note and when do the old notes go out of circulation?
THE new plastic £10 note is now taken for granted since it was released last year.
Here is the lowdown on the new tenner, what it's made of and why Jane Austen was selected to be on it.
When did the new £10 note begin circulation?
Production of the new £10 note began in August 2016.
The Bank of England's new polymer currency was released into circulation on Thursday, September 14, 2017.
From March 2017 new £1 coins were introduced as currency in the UK.
The new 12-sided coin gradually phased out the old round one.
What does the new £10 look like and what Jane Austen quotes are featured?
The new plastic note features author Jane Austen, which was confirmed at a press conference in 2013 by Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney.
Carney unveiled the new tender on July 18, 2017, a day that marked the 200th anniversary of the Pride And Prejudice author's death.
This event took place at Winchester Cathedral, the city where Austen passed away in 1817.
It was the first time members of the public were able to take a peek at the new note, which can last at least 2.5 times longer than the old paper £10 notes.
However, it was soon discovered that the note features a misleading quote from Jane Austen underneath her portrait.
The new note includes the quote, “I declare after all there is no enjoyment but reading!”
However, that the quote wasn’t said by Austen herself, but instead by the “detested” character Caroline Bingley in Pride And Prejudice, who in fact hated reading.
Other features of the new £10 note include:
- A portrait of Jane Austen commissioned by James Edward Austen Leigh - Jane Austen’s nephew - in 1870, adapted from an original sketch of Jane Austen drawn by her sister, Cassandra Austen.
- An illustration of Miss Elizabeth Bennet undertaking “The examination of all the letters which Jane had written to her”– from a drawing by Isabel Bishop (1902-1988).
- Jane Austen’s writing table – the central design in the background is inspired by the 12 sided writing table, and writing quills, used by Jane Austen at Chawton Cottage.
Why was Jane Austen chosen for the new £10 note?
Mr Carney said: "Jane Austen certainly merits a place in the select group of historical figures to appear on our banknotes.
"Her novels have an enduring and universal appeal and she is recognised as one of the greatest writers in English literature.
"As Austen joins Adam Smith, Boulton and Watt, and in future, Churchill, our notes will celebrate a diverse range of individuals who have contributed in a wide range of fields."
Some have criticised the "airbrushing" of Austen's illustration, as her facial features appear to have been plumped up.
Austen is the only woman – apart from the Queen – to be featured on a current English bank note.
When did the old £10 go out of circulation?
The old £10 note is scheduled to go out of circulation next week on March 1, 2018.
They will need to be used up by the deadline, before they become invalid tender.
Until this point, the old £10 note will continue to be legal tender so can be spent freely.
What material is the new £10 note made of?
As it is made using the same materials as the polymer £5 note, the new tenner will also contain small amounts of tallow, which is made from rendered beef and mutton fat.
The Bank of England said it had considered destroying, reprinting and delaying the issue of the new note in response to the backlash from vegetarians and vegans.
More than 130,000 people signed an online petition last year calling on the BoE to stop using animal fats.
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However, it said that doing so would compromise anti-counterfeit measures and would prove expensive.
The Bank said that future production of the new plastic £5 note and £10 notes, plus the £20 which is set to be launched in 2020, will not be changed.
Tallow is commonly used to make soap and candles.
The new polymer note uses beef tallow made from suet, which is hard fat found around the animal's kidneys, stomach and other organs.