Banking on it!
On this day in 1797, The Bank of England issued the first one-pound (and two-pound) notes into circulation. This was the first time that many people in the UK used paper as currency. Here are some more cracking currency records:
Most expensive banknotes sold at auction
The record price achieved at auction for a single lot of banknotes was £240,350 ($446,931), paid by Richard Lobel on behalf of a consortium, at Phillips, London on 14 February 1991. The lot consisted of a cache of British military notes which were found in a vault in Berlin, Germany and contained more than 17 million notes.
Most banknotes counted by hand
The greatest number of 100 Chinese Yuan bills counted by hand in 30 seconds is 140 by Song Chao (China), on the set of Zheng Da Zong Yi - Guinness World Records Special in Beijing, China, on 29 October 2007.
Longest line of banknotes
The longest line of banknotes measured 3,434.40 m (11,267.7 ft) long. The banknote line was made by members of the United Pentecostal Church of Vienna in Vienna, Illinois, USA, and measured on 22 September 2007.
Highest valued notes
The highest valued notes in circulation were printed when the US Federal Reserve released $10,000 banknotes bearing the head of Salmon P. Chase (1808-73). It was announced in 1969 that no further notes higher than $100 would be issued. Only 200 $10,000 bills remain in circulation or unretired.
Earliest paper money
The earliest recorded use of paper currency can be traced back to the Song dynasty (960-1279) in China when it was utilized by a group of wealthy merchants and businessmen in Sichuan, the same place where the art of printing was invented.
26 February 2008