CURIOUS BANKNOTES
20th-CENTURY VOUCHERS
Over the years, many interesting notes have appeared. Some have been used as vouchers in shops, some as political notes and one was intended as a National currency. We have them all here.
Cornish Stannary notes were issued as a political gesture in 1974. These rarely come up for sale, but we have a selection.
Herm Island, one of the channel islands, issued a tourist voucher in the mid-1950s. Although short-lived, it is a prized addition to any banknote collection.
The owner of Birnbeck Island and its pier off Weston-super-Mare wanted a Victorian theme to his attractions. In the early 1970s, he instituted a currency for use on his pier. At one point, this was unavailable - no stocks were known. However, we have obtained a small number of notes for keen collectors.
All these and many more notes are available from
Cornish Stannary notes
A different currency was issued by the Cornish Stannary Parliament in 1974 under the name of the 'Cornish National Fund'. The Fund was established with the objective of raising money to assist with a "campaign for the restitution of Cornwall’s legal right to partially govern itself and to raise appreciation within Cornwall of the aims of the Stannary Parliament."
Apart from the the 1974 issue, which always commands a good price, there were issues in 1985 and 2000. Currently we have a few example available.
Birnbeck Island
Birnbeck Pier is situated on the Bristol Channel off Weston-super-Mare, approximately 18 miles south-west of Bristol. It is the only pier in the country which links the mainland to an island, linking to Birnbeck Island, a 3 acre rocky 'lump'. The grade II* listed pier was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867. Its gothic toll house and pierhead buildings were designed by local architect Hans Price. The pier has been closed to the public since 1994 and is now on the Buildings at Risk Register.
In the early 1970s, the pier was sold to John Critchley, who redeveloped it as a "Victorian pleasure centre" which even had special permission to issue its own currency to visitors. This currency was unavailable to collectors, as only an odd note was known. Now, Curious Banknotes has managed to obtain a small supply and we are delighted to offer it to you.