Secure By Design – The Boulton and Watt £50 Note

To mark the introduction of the new £50 note, this exhibition examines the design of the note and its security features, along with the historical figures depicted on the note – Matthew Boulton and James Watt – and their role in the Industrial Revolution. In addition, the show traces the evolution of the £50 note from its introduction in 1725, including early forgeries (forgers would attempt to increase the value of a note by altering the amount in words and figures). On show are examples of nineteenth-century £5 notes which were altered and slipped into circulation by forgers, who risked a death sentence for their crime.