BEVERLY HILLS, July 19, (THEWILL) – The Bank of England (BoE) has unveiled a new bank note featuring Jane Austen to coincide with the author’s death 200 years ago after a campaign to include more women on Britain’s currency.
The new note worth ten pounds is made of polymer instead of paper and will enter circulation in September.
The launch follows the introduction of a polymer five-pound note last year that sparked controversy after the Bank of England confirmed that tallow, or animal fat, was used in the production process.
Activists and religious groups have called for sustainable, plant-based alternatives, but while the BoE is continuing to use tallow, it is looking at the possibility of finding a different product in time for the release of its polymer 20-pound note due 2020.
BoE Governor Mark Carney unveiled the new note in Winchester, southern England, where Austen is buried praising the new notes for being waterproof and having enhanced security features and will also contain raised dots to help the visually-impaired.
“Our banknotes serve as repositories of the country’s collective memory, promoting awareness of the United Kingdom’s glorious history and highlighting the contributions of its greatest citizens,” Carney said at the unveiling.
“The new 10 pound note celebrates Jane Austen’s work. Austen’s novels have a universal appeal and speak as powerfully today as they did when they were first published,” he added.
The current ten-pound note which features scientist Charles Darwin, famous for his theory of evolution, will be gradually phased out.
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