Currencies

Bank of England banknotes: who is on them, how to check they are genuine, and where to take old paper pounds

There are 4.98 billion notes in circulation worth £91.5 billion, carrying two monarchs at once, a painter, a novelist and the mathematician who broke Enigma — and soon animals will replace them all. Here is the guide to Britain's notes: what is in your wallet now, how to spot a genuine one, why our photos carry a SPECIMEN stamp, and what to do with the old paper twenties you found in a drawer.