Rare banknotes donated to Edinburgh charity shop sell for £85,000

A collection of nearly 160 rare banknotes donated to a British Heart Foundation charity shop in Edinburgh has sold at auction for £85,860. The donation was made to the shop located at Straiton Retail Park.

The collection included several highly significant items, such as a rare uncirculated note featuring a portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency Malaya and British Borneo, a 1947 Iraqi 10 Dinars colour trial, and a 1961 specimen 100 Riyal note from Saudi Arabia.

Shop staff initially sought assistance from the charity’s eBay team in Leeds to determine the value of the folders. The items were subsequently handled by the auction house Noonans, which waived its vendor commission to maximize the proceeds for the charity. The funds will support the British Heart Foundation’s lifesaving cardiovascular research.