Keencollectors queued outside the Bank of Englandthis morning to get their hands on the first banknotes featuring the face ofKing Charles III.
Members of the public have been able to swap their old money featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II by going into the building and swapping up to £300 of old notes for new ones.
The new banknotes entered circulation for the first time today, with the very first ones produced in the hands of the King himself.
People started queueing as early as 7am to get in for what might become a valuable new collector's item - whether that is a £5, £10, £20 or £50.
Every banknote features its own unique serial number and the Bank of England has shared with This is Money the lowest serial numbers printed on the new notes for the four different denominations.
Have YOU got your hands on a new note? Email matthew.cox@mailonline.co.uk
Keen collectors queued outside the Bank of England this morning to get their hands on the first banknotes featuring the face of King Charles III
The new banknotes entered circulation for the first time today, with the very first ones produced in the hands of the King himself
Pictured: A member of the public showing off his new King Charles banknotes this morning
People hoping for the very first notes from the new batch according to their serial number will be disappointed, as these are in the hands of the King himself
An exclusive report from Coventry Building Society for This is Money found that 15 per cent of 2,000 Brits asked said they will hold onto the new notes when they get their hands on them to sell on eBay or at an auction for more money in the future
The Bank of England has confirmed that the first printed serial numbers are:
• £5: CA 01 000001
• £10: HB 01 000001
• £20: EH 01 000001
• £50: AJ 01 000001
However, you will not find any notes containing those exact serial numbers, as King Charles himself has them.
Instead, those who have travelled to the Bank of England early this morning will be hoping to get a serial number as close to that as they can as these will likely be the most coveted in future - withany serial number under 20 considered exceptionally rare.
Steve Walton, 50, who was visiting with his US wife Kim, 40, from their home in America said this was not on their mind, though.
'It is pretty historical,' he said. 'I did not even think about numbers, I just came because today was the day, maybe at some point they will be worth some money though.
'We were out for the day in London and heard the new bank notes were coming out, and we wanted to come down and grab some on the first day.'
Kim added that they planned to give them to their daughters, who have already started a collection including both paper and polymer notes of the past.
Sue Chadwick, 55, rushed to the bank after learning about the event on the news.
She said: 'I think it is very important because this is the first time, unless you are very, very old, that we have changed bank notes.'
However, she added that she did 'miss' the late Queen being on the currency.
Many others working in the area saw it as a no brainer to pop in on their lunch breaks.
One said: 'I collect currency, coins and notes, as soon as I heard of King Charles being on currency I knew I needed to add them to my collection.
'I do not think it matters if the serial numbers are low, they are not to be sold.I do not believe in selling them, once you have got an example, why bother?'
Nevertheless, in 2016, when the very first AA01 polymer £5 notes, featuring Sir Winston Churchill, were changing hands for huge sums of money, there was a countrywide treasure hunt.
An exclusive report from Coventry Building Society for This is Money found that 15 per cent of 2,000 Brits asked said they will hold onto the new notes when they get their hands on them to sell on eBay or at an auction for more money in the future, especially if they have an early serial number.
The Bank of England, though, could not confirm if the CA01, HB01, EH01 or AJ01 notes have entered circulation today, it is likely they will work their way into circulation in the coming weeks and months.
While the addition of King Charles to the new polymer notes is a huge change, the reverse side of each note remains unchanged.
A spokesman for the Bank of England said: 'These notes are a continuation of our polymer series and the serial numbers follow on from the last printed banknotes featuring Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.'
Collectors and the general public can also get their hands on the new bank notes at a charity auction on June 13 hosted by Spink & Son on behalf of the Bank of England.
You need to have your ID checked to be allowed in to swap money at the Bank of England
People can exchange their old notes for new ones until the end of the week
Celebrity brothers AJ and Curtis Pritchard shared their experience getting a look at the new notes in advance of their release into circulation today
Also likely to become a collectors item amid the introduction of new notes, is the last batch of banknotes featuring the late Queen Elizabeth.
The last batch of £5 notes featuring the Queen was printed in July 2018 and the last £10 notes in December 2020, as we exclusively revealed last year.
The final £20 notes were printed a month after her death in October 2022 and the last £50 notes in April 2022.
These featured the prefixes:
• £5: BC60;
• £10: EM54
• £20: DM45
• £50: AE80
Simon Narbeth, of Colin Narbeth & Son, said a £50 note with the prefix AE80 sold for £145, but a note must be in mint condition to sell for this much.
