# Who do you spend? (other then US) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2003, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344 "2003-09-18T11:36:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![williambaskerville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@williambaskerville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williambaskerville)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344/21 "2003-09-20T16:24:20Z")
I meant old 5 punt note, of course. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344/22 "2003-09-21T16:07:07Z")
Cheers **williambaskerville**. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344/23 "2003-09-21T16:23:27Z")
Which Scottish bank has the note with naked Africans on it? That floored me when I first saw it (when working in a pub) and majorly insulted the Scottish chap when I told we didn’t accept “foreign” money. 😃 Thanks for all the info, very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344/24 "2003-09-22T11:18:51Z")
I’ll do the Northern Irish notes thing, but probably very badly. Aro could do it better, as he’ll have the notes to hand, while I only have Euros and memories! Each bank in Northern Ireland prints their own notes, and we pretend that they are real money, even though they’re actually vouchers and not Sterling notes. So, IIRC we have notes from the Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, The Northern Bank and the Allied Irish Bank, as well as the standard British Bank of England notes with Charles Dickens et al. The Northern Irish banks put whatever they damn well please on their notes and they’re not consistent in colour or style. IIRC the BOI tenner is red and green, the Northern one is orange, brown and red, the Ulster bank even brought out a blue 5 pound note with a clear plastic disc in it a few years ago. They tend to use Crests, fancy squiggles and bits of scenery (like the Giant’s Causeway), as famous people here tend to be controversial and could cause Sectarian problems. So if you have 50 pounds in ten pound notes, it is possible that you wouldn’t have 2 identical ones. Oddly enough Northern Irish people are used to it all, can identify notes on sight, and it is rarely a cause for complaint, being an everyday thing that no one remarks on. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344/25 "2003-09-22T12:32:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irishgirl \* > **the Ulster bank even brought out a blue 5 pound note with a clear plastic disc in it a few years ago.** Saw one of these once when I was on the HSS over to Stranraer. The oddest looking thing, all us Dublin based folk were passing it around laughing at it. ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344/26 "2003-09-22T13:06:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by irishgirl \* > **…Aro could do it better…** I really doubt it 😉 > [@](#): > > **Each bank in Northern Ireland prints their own notes, and we pretend that they are real money, even though they’re actually vouchers and not Sterling notes.** What do you mean “not real Sterling”? 😃 The trouble I had in Glasgow convincing shops to accept those fecking notes - even when they (mostly) clearly state ‘STERLING’ in big letters across the note. (Nobody wanted them at all.) ::sulk:: > [@](#): > > **So, IIRC we have notes from the Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, The Northern Bank and the Allied Irish Bank, as well as the standard British Bank of England notes with Charles Dickens et al.** There are others too, I think, but can’t remember them at present. Not to mention that we can also use Euro notes in a lot of places, especially in major shops and close to teh border with the RoI. > [@](#): > > **the Ulster bank even brought out a blue 5 pound note with a clear plastic disc in it a few years ago.** This one [here](http://www.polymernotes.org/country_pages/UK2.htm#UK2S1). I kind of like them. It’s quite a challenge to rip it. 😉 I even have one in my wallet right now. Note it has the space shuttle on it - that world famous Northern Ireland invention. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344/27 "2003-09-22T13:27:33Z")
Aro, next time you’re in Glasgow and can’t find an establishment to accept your sterling, let me know. I can suggest a number of places 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344/28 "2003-09-22T14:10:08Z")
Did a little more googling for some pictures, for any who may care, on [British banknotes:](http://www.thebanknotestore.com/british.htm) [Ulster Bank](http://www.thebanknotestore.com/british/ulster/ulster.htm) banknotes [Bank of Irleand £10](http://www.irishpapermoney.com/ni/boi/05/boini052.html) [First Trust](http://www.thebanknotestore.com/british/firsttrust/firsttrust.htm) banknotes [Northern Bank](http://www.thebanknotestore.com/british/northern/northern.htm) banknotes Click the ‘front image / reverse image’ for a close-up view. (most links are from [World Banknotes](http://www.thebanknotestore.com/world.htm)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-spend-other-then-us/202344.md?page=1)