PMG's Featured Note of the Month: Great Britain 2015 £5

Posted on 5/23/2023

This note featuring Winston Churchill on the back is an excellent way to mark the May anniversary of V-E Day, when World War II ended in Europe.



Great Britain, Bank of England 2015 £5 graded PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ Click images to enlarge.

Country: Great Britain

Catalog Number: 394

Date: 2015

Denomination: £5

Varieties: The PMG Population Report includes one example each of "394fdi," "394fr" and "394er" for notes that earned PMG designations for First Day of Issue, First Releases and Early Releases.

What makes it special? The back of this note shows British Prime Minister Winston Churchill along with the Palace of Westminster, where British lawmakers meet. Churchill led Great Britain through World War II, which is reflected in the note's design — both by one of his most-famous quotes ("I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat") and the 1953 Nobel Prize for Literature that he earned for his oratory and the historical books that he wrote about the war.

Did you know? May has two key dates related to Churchill and World War II. The most important is V-E Day on May 8, 1945, when Allied forces prevailed over the Axis powers in Europe. The second was five years earlier on May 13, 1940, when Churchill delivered his "Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat" speech. It was his first after taking office as prime minister three days earlier, and it came amid some of the darkest days of the war. German forces had just invaded France, Belgium and the Netherlands, which all came under Axis control in a matter of weeks. Hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers were in danger of being captured, had it not been for the frantic and largely successful Dunkirk evacuation.

Total graded by PMG: As of May 2023, the PMG Population Report includes 2,652 examples of Pick# 394, including the three with special PMG designations.

PMG median grade: PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ.

PMG highest graded: The PMG Population Report lists 13 examples in PMG 70★ Gem Uncirculated EPQ.

Sales highlights: An example graded PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ realized $51 in October 2019 through Heritage Auctions.

PMG Registry: This note is part of several categories, including Great Britain 1902-Date, Type Set, Issued Notes, where an example of Pick# 394 graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ appears in Lamb7's English Paper Money, as well as Queen Elizabeth II Portrait Set, 1960-Date, Complete, Including Varieties, where an example of Pick# 394 graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ appears in Lamb7's English Paper Money QEII.

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PMG's Featured Note of the Month: Great Britain 2015 £5

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