Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's Previewed Its January 29, 2026 British and World Banknotes Sale

This article is based on a Numismatic News report published on January 27, 2026. The report previewed a banknote auction to be held by the auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's on January 29, 2026. It does not include sale results.

The first banknote sale in several years

Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's announced its British & World Banknotes sale, to take place at 399 Strand and online on Thursday, January 29, 2026. According to the report, it is the first banknote auction the firm has presented for several years.

British notes: Treasury and Bank of England issues

The first section is a collection of British notes made up of early Treasury and Bank of England notes, followed by a fairly comprehensive collection of English and Welsh provincial bank notes, mainly from the early 19th century.

The report pointed to two items:

- Lot 9: a Ten Shillings Treasury note with a Dardanelles overprint, used in North Africa to support the Gallipoli offensive. It was overprinted in May 1916 for use in Alexandria. Estimate £180-210. - Lot 19: a Bank of England "white £100" note issued at the end of the First World War, described as very rare. The report said such high denominations rarely turn up.

Backhouse family provincial notes

The second section is a collection of world bank notes that Baldwin's acquired many years ago. It includes a group of notes from provincial banks in North East England, in towns such as Darlington, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, Newcastle and Sunderland.

These notes were owned by the Backhouse family. According to the report, the family's banking services helped the region's economic growth as an industrial center throughout the 19th century.

The bank's founder was James Backhouse, a wealthy Quaker flax-dresser from Darlington and the grandfather of Jonathan Backhouse. He first offered banking facilities to fellow merchants and formally set up a bank in 1774.

The bank came through the economic strains of the war with France, when even the Bank of England suspended redemption of its notes. The Backhouse business was heavily involved in the Stockton and Darlington Railway and set up banks in Durham, Newcastle, Sunderland and Stockton-on-Tees.

By the end of the 19th century it was one of the largest banks in the UK, with 20 branches and £3.3 million in deposits. At that point it merged with Barclays of London and Gurney's of Norwich to hold a quarter of deposits in English private banks. Jonathan Backhouse became a full Director of Barclays and retired in 1913.

Backhouse notes are offered in Lots 136 to 148.

Obsolete American notes and Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank notes

The sale also includes a run of obsolete notes from American banks of the mid 19th century, most of which did not survive the American Civil War. The report noted their detailed engraved vignettes; Lot 184 shows a hunting scene.

There is also a group of 20th-century Chinese notes, mainly from the Hong Kong and Shanghai bank. Most have been independently graded by PMG, all at 66 mint state (Lots 218-223). Notes from other parts of the world are also offered.

Highlights listed in the report

Estimates are the auction house's figures.

- Lot 156: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Joint Stock Banking Co, proof £5, undated but 1883, serial number 9354, vignette of the city from the sea. Uncirculated. Estimate £80-120. - Lot 139: Darlington, Darlington Bank for Jonathan Backhouse & Co., unissued £1, no signature or serial number, standing woman vignette. Uncirculated. Estimate £30-50. - Lot 147: Durham, Durham Bank for Jonathan Backhouse & Co., £5, 1891, signed E B Mounsey, serial C/W 853, cancelled in red ink, with a pinned note stating "paid 16 Mar 1914." Estimate £30-50. - Lot 9: Treasury, J. Bradbury (second issue), Ten Shillings, 1915-16, Z/7 039606, overprinted for the Dardanelles campaign. Estimate £180-210. - Lot 222: China, Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation, One Thousand Dollars, March 31, 1983, K 398585, encapsulated by PMG and graded 66 Gem Unc. Estimate £200-300. - Lot 169: USA, Georgia, Dalton, Planters and Mechanics Bank, Five Dollars, July 1, 1856, fox hunting scene vignette. Extremely Fine. Estimate £30-40.

Source: Numismatic News, "Stanley Gibbons Baldwins British and World Bank Notes Auction" (January 27, 2026).