Note of the Month: Scotland 20 Pounds

Posted on 10/21/2025

With Halloween approaching, here's a note whose spooky themes include a spider and its web as well as a mill town that's back from the dead.

Click images to enlarge.

Country: Scotland

Catalog Number: 229K

Date: 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015

Denomination: 20 Pounds

Varieties: There are several varieties in the PMG Population Report: A lower-case letter after the K in the catalog number indicates what series it is from (a, b, c and d represent 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively). An '*' indicates a Replacement note while an 's' indicates a Specimen.

What makes it special? The note celebrates Robert the Bruce (1274-1329), a king of Scotland who is regarded as a hero for successfully fighting against the English for independence. Legend has it that after losing a battle in 1306, he hid in a cave and observed a spider trying to weave a web on the ceiling, which it did after two failed attempts. This inspired him to continue his fight.

Did you know? The back of the note shows New Lanark, a cotton mill town that grew up during the Industrial Revolution but later fell into disrepair before many of the buildings were restored in recent decades. In 2021, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of only seven in Scotland.

Total graded by PMG: As of mid-October 2025, the PMG Population Report includes 231 examples of the various varieties of Pick# 229K, including 31 of 229Kb, the one shown above.

PMG median grade: PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ

PMG highest graded: Three example of Pick# 228Ka and four examples of Pick# 228Kd are graded PMG 68 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ.

Sales highlights: A Pick# 229Kb* Replacement note graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ realized €42 at a Crown Currency Auctions sale in September 2025. A Pick# 229Kas Specimen graded PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ realized $384 at a Heritage Auctions sale in April 2024.

PMG Registry: This note is part of the most popular Scotland category in the PMG Registry, Scotland, 1908-Date, Type Set, Issued Notes, where kailongbanknote's scotland set has a Pick# 229Ka. Elsewhere in the PMG Registry, the Clydesdale Bank PLC, 1982-Date, P211-Date category has ryanvuong's Clydesdale Bank - 29385 set with a Pick# 229Kd graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ.

Previous Notes of the Month:


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