Month: August 2026
A Pound That’s Worth More Than A Pound
At first glance, this £1 note might look like a slightly unfamiliar piece of British currency.
Look a little closer, though, and you’ll see that it was issued not by the Bank of England but by the States of Guernsey.
Guernsey has a long tradition of issuing its own notes and coins, with its currency maintained at parity with sterling. While Guernsey currency is intended for use within the Bailiwick rather than as legal tender throughout the UK, the familiar dimensions and appearance of the coins in particular mean that examples can sometimes find their way into everyday circulation elsewhere.
That makes Guernsey money an interesting little collecting area in its own right.
Michael tells us that notes and coins in particularly good or near-uncirculated condition will often sell for considerably more than their face value, with older issues tending to become more desirable once they have been replaced.
The note pictured is a States of Guernsey £1 note featuring Daniel De Lisle Brock, Bailiff of Guernsey from 1762 to 1842, alongside an image of the Royal Court in St Peter Port.
And while its printed value may be just £1, this particular example is currently available at Charing Cross Market for £4 — a nice illustration of how even relatively modern currency can become something rather more interesting once it enters the world of collecting.
Sailor Sam Goes To War
During the Second World War, even small badges could play a part in supporting those serving overseas.
These wonderfully characterful Sailor Sam badges were produced in Pretoria, South Africa, during the 1939–45 war and sold to raise money for comforts for service personnel.
There were two main versions: Sailor Sam and Officer Sam. With their broad smiles and jaunty uniforms, they’re cheerful little objects, but the money they raised had a practical purpose. It helped to provide knitted items like socks, scarves, gloves and balaclavas.
For the Christmas 1944 campaign, another badge was produced featuring the wife of General Jan Smuts. Around the portrait are the words “22nd Dec 1944 S.A. Gifts and Comforts”.
It makes for an interesting little group of wartime souvenirs. Unlike formal military badges, these were intended for the public to buy and wear, combining fundraising, patriotism and a touch of humour.
Today they are reminders of the enormous amount of voluntary work that took place away from the battlefield, and of how something as simple as buying a small badge could contribute towards keeping a serviceman warm thousands of miles away.
They are also exactly the sort of item that can make a miscellaneous badge collection fascinating. A smiling sailor or officer might look like little more than a novelty at first glance, until you discover the story behind it.
New Journeys for Old Stamps
With the cost of sending a First Class letter or card now £1.80, here’s a way to make posting something a little more interesting and, potentially, quite a bit cheaper.
Many dealers at Charing Cross Collectors Market sell unused older commemorative stamps in quantity for around half their face value. And although they may have been issued decades ago, these special stamps can still be used for postage today.
Simply combine enough valid stamps for their printed values to add up to the postage required.
It’s something stamp auction houses have long done when sending out their catalogues, but there’s no reason collectors can’t have a bit of fun with it too.
A birthday or Christmas card covered with colourful old stamps immediately looks more special than one carrying a single modern stamp. Better still, you can choose designs that mean something to the person receiving it.
Someone interested in naval history might appreciate an HMS Warspite stamp. A music lover could receive one featuring Elgar, Handel or Holst. Others might recognise old British Council designs, textiles, Scouting or a host of other subjects commemorated by Royal Mail over the years.
It turns the envelope into part of the present and gives those unused stamps a purpose beyond sitting in a stock book.
And who knows? An interesting stamp arriving through the letterbox might even be enough to start a new collector off.
Before the Blue: The Legacy of the White Fiver
Before the colour, before the plastic, and long before security holograms, there was the White Fiver. Issued from the late 18th century until 1957, it was one of the longest-running banknote designs in British history, and certainly among the most iconic.
The note shown here dates from 1945 and features elegant copperplate script promising to pay the bearer five pounds. The engraved Britannia in the top corner is the only visual decoration, but the bold Five in gothic type leaves no doubt about its value.
It was a serious note, both in function and in feel. Five pounds in the 1940s could buy a week’s holiday, a decent suit, or 120 pints of beer. For most people, it was not something you’d carry daily.
Collectors today look for condition, signatures, and specific issues from wartime or early print runs. Many were cancelled or destroyed when the new blue fiver was introduced in 1957, a note that brought colour printing and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II to the forefront. That modern design looked forward. The White Fiver looked back.
What it lacked in flair, it made up for in weight, confidence and a kind of no-nonsense authority that feels far removed from today’s polymer currency.
