Front of note Rear of note Front of note Front of note Front of note Front of note Front of note Front of note Rear of note Rear of note Rear of note
Front of note / Look / Print Quality Front of note / Look / Print Quality
Front of note / Look / Watermark Front of note / Look / Watermark
Front of note / Look / Security Thread Front of note / Look / Security Thread
Front of note / Look / See Through Front of note / Look / See Through
Front of note / Look / Microprint Front of note / Look / Microprint
Front of note / Look / Serial Numbers Front of note / Look / Serial Numbers
Front of note / Look / Denomination Numerals Front of note / Look / Denomination Numerals
Front of note / Feel / Paper Quality Front of note / Feel / Paper Quality
Front of note / Feel / Raised Print Front of note / Feel / Raised Print
Front of note / Tilt / Hologram Front of note / Tilt / Hologram
Front of note / Tilt / Security Thread Front of note / Tilt / Security Thread
Front of note / Check / UV Fluorescence Front of note / Check / UV Fluorescence
Front of note / Check / Compare Front of note / Check / Compare
Rear of note / Check / Compare Rear of note / Check / Compare
Rear of note / Feel / Paper Quality Rear of note / Feel / Paper Quality
Rear of note / Look / Print Quality Rear of note / Look / Print Quality
Rear of note / Look / Watermark Rear of note / Look / Watermark
Rear of note / Look / See Through Rear of note / Look / See Through
Rear of note / Look / Denomination Numerals Rear of note / Look / Denomination Numerals
Bank of Scotland £20 note
The Bridges Series
Size: 149mm x 80mm
Colour: Purple
Design Features (click to highlight an area of interest)
  • Vignette of Forth Bridge
  • Image of cantilever tower
  • Image of workers
Bank of Scotland £20 note
The Bridges Series
Size: 149mm x 80mm
Colour: Purple
Design Features (click to highlight an area of interest)
  • Portrait of Sir Walter Scott
  • Bank of Scotland Crest
  • Bank of Scotland Hologram
  • Bank of Scotland Headquarters on The Mound
  • Image of Four Thistles
  • A colour image of a thistle aginst a shaded grey square background to the top right of the protrait of Sir Walter Scott
Look: Print Quality
Lines should be sharp and well defined with no blurred edges. Colours should be clear and distinct. Print Quality
Look: Watermark
Hold the note up to the light. You should see a WATERMARK image of Sir Walter Scott together with a bright numerical value of the note. The watermark is visible from both the front and back of the note. Watermark Watermark
Look: Security Thread
There is a metallic SECURITY THREAD which contains the numerical value of the note, the note's bridge image and the bank's corporate logo. This appears as 'colour-changing' dashes on the front of the note. If you hold the note up to the light, the metallic thread should appear as a continuous dark line. Security Thread Security Thread
Look: See Through
Hold the note up to the light and with the SEE THROUGH effect you should see the coloured irregular shapes printed on the front and back of the note that combine to form the Bank of Scotland logo. See Through See Through
Look: Microprint
Using a magnifying glass, look closely at the MICOPRINT in the top left hand corner of the front of note beside the serial number - you should see the text 'Bank of Scotland' followed by the value of the note written in small letters. Microprint Microprint
Look: Serial Numbers
Each note has a unique number which is printed twice on the front of the note, horizontal on upper left and vertical towards the right. Serial numbers consist of two letters followed by six numbers, which are not all the same size. Serial Numbers
Look: Denomination Numerals
The number 20 accompanied by a '£' sign appears near the bottom left and top right on both the front and back of the note. In addition the words 'Twenty Pounds' appear on the front right of the note and the words 'Twenty Pounds Sterling' on the back at the bottom right. Denomination Numerals
Feel: Paper Quality
The paper should feel crisp - not limp, waxy or shiny. Paper Quality
Feel: Raised Print
If you run your finger along the vertical "Bank of Scotland" and the two numerical values on the front of the note you will feel raised print. Raised Print
Tilt: Hologram
There is a HOLOGRAM on the foil patch on the front of the note. If you tilt the note you should see the image change between the Bank of Scotland logo and the numerical value of the note. Hologram Hologram
Tilt: Security Thread
The metallic SECURITY THREAD if tilted changes colour from metallic red to metallic green. Security Thread Security Thread
Check: UV Fluorescence
If you place the note under a good quality ULTRA-VIOLET light, the circled image of the four thistles should appear as two fluorescent colours. If you scan the note with the UV light four line vertical and four line horizontal bar codes are highlighted. UV Fluorescence UV Fluorescence
Check: Compare
Always compare both sides of a suspect note with another note that you know to be genuine, looking for differences between the two. Make sure you check the size of a suspect note against a known genuine note. Compare
Check: Compare
Always compare both sides of a suspect note with another note that you know to be genuine, looking for differences between the two. Make sure you check the size of a suspect note against a known genuine note. Compare
Feel: Paper Quality
The paper should feel crisp - not limp, waxy or shiny Paper Quality
Look: Print Quality
Lines should be sharp and well defined with no blurred edges. Colours should be clear and distinct. Print Quality
Look: Watermark
Hold the note up to the light. You should see a WATERMARK image of Sir Walter Scott together with a bright numerical value of the note. The watermark is visible from both the front and back of the note. Watermark Watermark
Look: See Through
Hold the note up to the light and with the SEE THROUGH effect you should see the coloured irregular shapes printed on the front and back of the note that combine to form the Bank of Scotland logo. See Through See Through
Look: Denomination Numerals
The number 20 accompanied by a '£' sign appears near the bottom left and top right on both the front and back of the note. In addition the words 'Twenty Pounds' appear on the front right of the note and the words 'Twenty Pounds Sterling' on the back at the bottom right. Denomination Numerals
DebugTextInsert