Scottish Money

[The Angel Of Death]

Just back form a weeks holls in England shire and was amazed by the amount of people that would screw there nose's up while trying to pay with a Scottish £20 note I couldn't believe it !!!

Most looked at it like I just printed the note of myself and then had the cheek to say "we have had a lot of forgeries lately" now surely I would say that most of the notes that are on the go can be copied and not just Scottish ones surely that smacks of racism these days I bet if we wouldn't except English notes there would be an outcry !!!

Apparently they cant pass Scottish notes onto the English population (maybe there all contaminated or something) they have to put them straight to the bank to get then exchanged !!!

[Ann]

Nothing to do with racism. Scottish bank notes (although it is perfectly acceptable to use them in England) are not legal tender in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

[loo-b-loo]

Nothing to do with racism. Scottish bank notes (although it is perfectly acceptable to use them in England) are not legal tender in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

I am English but have been in Scotland since I was 13 (nearly 20 years now!) and had exactly the same problem.

I only had Scottish money on me, I got really upset as I was unable to pay for a train ticket. The amount of people who ended up supporting me on the train was great as i was venting of the fact that "Are we not all part of the same Island? [evil] There is no guarded border between England and Scotland". Is it not time the banks started excepting this and changed.

I know this may open a complete different can of worms about the Scottish / English divide but I think in this day and age it is crazy!

[Tristan]

This was covered in an earlier thread. The notes are printed by the banks so theyare not legal tender. The other issue is that since there is no one standard £20 note it makes it makes them a good target to be forged (2 years ago it was the most forged currency in Britain) and with mutli styles of notes it is difficult for shops to tell the real ones from the forgeries.
Maybe its wrong, maybe it's right but I dont think it is a racist thing but more of a I can never be sure which note is which thing.

[golach]

I'm off to Blackpool next week, Mrs G has had a hard summer washing all my shirts to make me look good whilst guiding tourists round Edinburgh.[lol]
We have been to Blackpool many times and never had a problem with Scottish notes, in fact often when handing over Scottish monies, often get the change back in mixed English and Northern Irish notes, not a problem as I use the NI notes very quickly.

[henry20]

When I went to London, I handed over a scottish note at a market stall - the stall holder checked with a neighbouring stall holder if it was ok to accept it. She was foreign, said she was only helping a friend, apologised that she hadn't recognised the note and accepted it. This is the only problem I had, but I imagine it differs from area to area and person to person.

[JAWS]

I'm off to Blackpool next week, Mrs G has had a hard summer washing all my shirts to make me look good whilst guiding tourists round Edinburgh.[lol]
We have been to Blackpool many times and never had a problem with Scottish notes, in fact often when handing over Scottish monies, often get the change back in mixed English and Northern Irish notes, not a problem as I use the NI notes very quickly.OMG! It's not Glasgow Week is it?
When I was young businesses in most towns and cities all closed for holidays at the same time. Everybody piled on to trains and onto buses and headed for the sea-side.
During Glasgow Week Blackpool became a Wee Glasgow in England. The English definitely became a minority in Blackpool during that period.

I would think that during that period there was more Scottish Bank Notes in Blackpool than there were English.

[johnl]

I think that you will find Scottish notes are not legal tender in Scotland,but also, apart from the old £1 note English notes are not legal tender in Scotland either only the coins are legal tender in Scotland.

[crashbandicoot1979]

There is no guarded border between England and Scotland". Is it not time the banks started excepting this and changed.

The UK Treasury did infact propose extending legal tender status to Scottish banknotes.

However it was the Scottish themselves that refused it! It was opposed by Scottish nationalists who reakoned it would reduce the independence of the Scottish banking sector.

[Naefearjustbeer]

I have had problems spending Scottish notes in england, Whilst standing at the bar waiting to pay for a round of drinks the barman mumbled something about not accepting my money. I said thats fine I dont want your drinks and turned to leave. What else could he do but accept it as the drinks were already poured. I could not be bothered arguing about it and I certainly wasnt going to go to a cash machine to take more money just so I had english notes.
In northern Ireland I have never even had a second glance spending Scottish money.

[fixit]

If You have a look at the legal definition, Scottish bank notes are not legal tender even in Scotland.

www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/briefings-03/sb03-51.pdf (http://forum.caithness.org/www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/briefings-03/sb03-51.pdf)

[Fluff]

my boss and i were talking about forgeries etc the other day. Scottish notes are easier to forge than english notes so alot of compies will not take the risk. The shop opposite wont take my socttish notes i have left over but they explained that the week before they had forgeries. Its not all arrogance.

on another note, i found out than on an enligsh £20 note (not sure about the scottish ones) one way to tell if they are forged is the purple ink will rub off onto a bit of white paper if it is real! :)

[George Brims]

One reason people in Engerland don't want to take Scottish notes is they have to separate them out when they put their takings into the bank, and they can't be bothered with that wee extra bit of work.

[maverick]

i think you will find that although scottish banknotes are not legal tender they are legal currency. I remember sometime ago it was on tv about how europe passed some legislation that all countries who were members of the european union had to accept the currency ofeach member state ( or whatever) so scottish and irish banknotes had to be accepted as ( means of payment) because they are legal currency and so england has to accept scottish and irish banknotes as legal currency because of said rules.(or something like that)

[sapphire]

[quote=Fluff;139788] Scottish notes are easier to forge than english notes


Not sure that I agree with this statement.Scottish notes contain all the security features and in fact have bars hidden within the notes which are only apparent when placed under ultraviolet light.English notes do not have this.
All notes have intaglio printing on them which is not so easy to replicate ,,,If you run the end of your nail along the printing you will feel all the ridges.
There were forged Scottish fivers a while back but they were so pathetic I'm surprised anyone was caught out by them.....

[golach]

A little bit of trivia. The Bank of Scotland was founded by an Englishman
and the Bank of England was founded by a Scot:eek:

[j4bberw0ck]

i think you will find that although scottish banknotes are not legal tender they are legal currency. I remember sometime ago it was on tv about how europe passed some legislation that all countries who were members of the european union had to accept the currency ofeach member state ( or whatever) so scottish and irish banknotes had to be accepted as ( means of payment) because they are legal currency and so england has to accept scottish and irish banknotes as legal currency because of said rules.(or something like that)

It might be the case if England, Scotland and Northern Ireland were separate members of the EU, but they're not. The UK is the member. Also, I may be wrong but I think you'll find that the legislation was intended to make member states accept Euro notes and coin printed / made in other member states - the coins are all different, for instance. But there's no obligation on UK retailers, for instance, to accept Slovenian Tolar, though Slovenia is an EU member and is in transition from its own currency to Euro. Both Tolar and Euro are accepted in Slovenia.

Europe has no power to dictate what's legal tender in the UK as we're thankfully not part of the Eurozone.

[Cattach]

I have had problems spending Scottish notes in england, Whilst standing at the bar waiting to pay for a round of drinks the barman mumbled something about not accepting my money. I said thats fine I dont want your drinks and turned to leave. What else could he do but accept it as the drinks were already poured. I could not be bothered arguing about it and I certainly wasnt going to go to a cash machine to take more money just so I had english notes.
In northern Ireland I have never even had a second glance spending Scottish money.

I have been south of the border at least twice every year for the last 30 years and still have to have a Scottish note refused. I do know a few people who have difficulty.
I was questioned in Somerfield in Thurso by a girl on the till who did not recognise my Scottish fiver! She said she was new and from Orkney so I just forgave her!!
I keep hoping that in England someone would refuse my money especially when at the checkout having emptied and had scanned a very large trolley of shopping, but no such yet. Wouldn't it be fun just to leave it sitting there on the counter!

[Piglet]

I have been south of the border at least twice every year for the last 30 years and still have to have a Scottish note refused. I do know a few people who have difficulty.
I was questioned in Somerfield in Thurso by a girl on the till who did not recognise my Scottish fiver! She said she was new and from Orkney so I just forgave her!!
I keep hoping that in England someone would refuse my money especially when at the checkout having emptied and had scanned a very large trolley of shopping, but no such yet. Wouldn't it be fun just to leave it sitting there on the counter!
or in a restaurant after you have eaten lol [lol]

[j4bberw0ck]

I was questioned in Somerfield in Thurso by a girl on the till who did not recognise my Scottish fiver! She said she was new and from Orkney so I just forgave her!!

That's her on the local Taliban's list, then..... that must be like the "I from Barthelona, I know naaaathing" excuse that Manuel used. There's nothing but Scottish notes here...... took me forever to scrape together a few hundred quid in English stuff as an emergency fund before I went off touring foreign parts on the bike :roll: .

[Ann]

or in a restaurant after you have eaten lol [lol]

Did the restaurant thing about thirty years ago in London when Scottish bank notes were very rare there and it was an Indonesian restaurant as well!

When the poor waiter got the Scottish twenty pound note he studied the back and the front then smiled and said "Very pretty but may I have real money now please?"

Luckily the manager came and accepted the note which was just as well because we didn't have anything else!

[sandyr]

Follow up to Scottish bank notes....
I am in Caithness Scot in Canada, but regularly return to Caithness where it seems all paper change is given in Scottish Pounds. If I have too many when I get back here, the Bank will take them, but must send them into their head office, and it has taken up to 3 weeks to get an exchange on them, and of course knowing banks, they charge a handling fee....
So perhaps the 'Scotch' have a method of ensuring that one will come back to spend the notes in Scotland. Bye the way, The Royal Bank of Canada's Chairman was a Campbell some years ago, so I wrote him a letter but I guess he didn't really care! But we know............Regards

[Moira]

Follow up to Scottish bank notes....
I am in Caithness Scot in Canada, but regularly return to Caithness where it seems all paper change is given in Scottish Pounds. If I have too many when I get back here, the Bank will take them, but must send them into their head office, and it has taken up to 3 weeks to get an exchange on them, and of course knowing banks, they charge a handling fee....
So perhaps the 'Scotch' have a method of ensuring that one will come back to spend the notes in Scotland. Bye the way, The Royal Bank of Canada's Chairman was a Campbell some years ago, so I wrote him a letter but I guess he didn't really care! But we know............Regards


SandyR - not seen you posting much - welcome aboard. If you're spending your money in Caithness you're even more welcome - but it shouldn't come as a surprise to receive your change in Scottish Pounds. Caithness is definitely part of Scotland & we're quite happy with our own currency. Not averse to accepting the English version either, mind you ;)

BTW "Scotch" is the whisky - the folk here tend to think of themselves as "Scots" or "Scottish". If you've visited Caithness "regularly" I'm surprised you've not had that difference pointed out to you before now. What part of Caithness do you "regularly visit" as a matter of interest?

Perhaps, however, you meant the effect of the Scotch (as in whisky) on a body (Canadian or otherwise) - would never dream of touching the stuff myself - can't abide the smell & I'm led to believe the after-effects are powerful! :D

Have you met Canuck & our other Canadian/Caithness.orgers? I'm sure they will be along soon to welcome you to our community.

[sandyr]

Hi,
Thanks for pointing out the 'Scotch' thingy, but I do know who we are, as I still consider myself from Caithness, although I have been away for over 40 years... 35 in Canada., and was using the word for all purposes, including Drams!
Perhaps you should be aware that I did attended Lybster School and thence to Week (Wick) High! In Lybster I was taught English by Miss Robertson.. Of course that was some years ago ... She had a special way about her! Anyone who was there is the 50's & 60's would surely remember her/ she did a great job.
I regularly visit caithness.org and find it a remarkable website. Sometimes I read the posts, but usually have nothing to input.
Have been in Caithness a couple of times this year, and loved the weather. Nearly as good as Canada..well that's a bit of a lie, but it was better than normal.
Thanks for the welcome, but I may make a mistake on occasion, so please forgive me.
So that's my story for now....