The mysteries of fifties

[AndrewT]

Something I was wondering last night - how do £50 notes get into circulation?

You can't get them out of cashpoints and you obviously never get given them in change. Very few businesses pay their employees in cash these days, so that's out as a main input stream.

The only time I ever get them is in live poker winnings (I currently have three )

Is the 'paying employees in cash' system enough to do it? People withdrawing £1000 over the counter in a bank to pay a builder?

[kinboshi]

Is the 'paying employees in cash' system enough to do it? People withdrawing £1000 over the counter in a bank to pay a builder?

Those pesky Polish immigrants again - always to blame!!

[tikay]

I cannot think of a single instance where £50 notes have been paid to me, except in Casinos for poker winnings.

The Bank? From time to time, I need large amounts of cash - to pay in, for example, multi-entries to an Event for one of my commercial partners. When I ask the Bank if I can have the money in £50's, they look at me aghast, & say I need to "order them in advance".....!

Having said that, even withdrawing sums of more than £1,000 is a 3 act play at my Bank. "How long have you banked here Sir?" says some young floosy. "29 years" I reply ironically & truthfully. Resulting in a complete whoosh, followed by a lecture on the inadvisabilty of carrying such sums around, & request to consider the new Super Saver Account.

But they are not always wrong. I withdrew £4.5k recently to pay 4 guys into the Scottish Open for Sporting Odds. They asked what I wanted the money for. (!). I said "to play poker", & she said "is that really wise, Sir?".......

And I have trouble spending £50 notes up here in Derbyshire, they get held up to the light, scrutinised, & Management are frequently summioned - "there's a man with a £50 note". If there is "paper" change, I scrutinise it carefully, & then they get all "we are only dong our job Sir". Apparently Shops can scrutinise my money, but it's not done for me to scrutinise the change.

When I was a lad, a £20 note was a big deal. I came into possession of some obvious forgeries once, so being the good lad I was, I took them to the Police Station, & was able to identify the guy who passed them to me, who was a regular scamstrer apparently. The Police thanked me for my help, then confinscated the two £20 notes I'd shown them! Nowadays, if I get forged banknotes, I just pass them on, sod being helpful to the Police.

[AndrewT]

When I was a lad, a £20 note was a big deal. I came into possession of some obvious forgeries once, so being the good lad I was, I took them to the Police Station, & was able to identify the guy who passed them to me, who was a regular scamstrer apparently. The Police thanked me for my help, then confinscated the two £20 notes I'd shown them! Nowadays, if I get forged banknotes, I just pass them on, sod being helpful to the Police.

Yeah, this is crazy - if you hand any forged banknote to the police or bank, it gets taken and you lose the money. If you get given a wet one in change, then you have to break the law to avoid being out of pocket.

[tikay]

When I was a lad, a £20 note was a big deal. I came into possession of some obvious forgeries once, so being the good lad I was, I took them to the Police Station, & was able to identify the guy who passed them to me, who was a regular scamstrer apparently. The Police thanked me for my help, then confinscated the two £20 notes I'd shown them! Nowadays, if I get forged banknotes, I just pass them on, sod being helpful to the Police.

Yeah, this is crazy - if you hand any forged banknote to the police or bank, it gets taken and you lose the money. If you get given a wet one in change, then you have to break the law to avoid being out of pocket.

That is precisely the case. How weird is that? You'd think they'd have  compensation fund or something. I've seen many Forgeries since, but as you say, we have to pass them on. thanks to the Constabulary's myopia.

[boldie]

But they are not always wrong. I withdrew £4.5k recently to pay 4 guys into the Scottish Open for Sporting Odds. They asked what I wanted the money for. (!). I said "to play poker", & she said "is that really wise, Sir?".......

I take it she knew you?

[tikay]

But they are not always wrong. I withdrew £4.5k recently to pay 4 guys into the Scottish Open for Sporting Odds. They asked what I wanted the money for. (!). I said "to play poker", & she said "is that really wise, Sir?".......

I take it she knew you?

She wishes.......

[KingPoker]

Luckily having just been a student and only just landed my first well paid job I have never had to worry about excess 50 quid notes.
When i worked for a builder in the holidays between uni, that was mostly in cash, but it was all in 20 quid notes which was brilliant when u went to the bank as a roll of 20's is basically proof your a drug dealer around where i live!

[boldie]

I got loads of 50's and 100's when I sold my car ages ago and get them from the bookies sometimes (admittedly not often enough)..they are a pain in the neck to spend though....

[AndrewT]

I got loads of 50's and 100's when I sold my car ages ago and get them from the bookies sometimes (admittedly not often enough)..they are a pain in the neck to spend though....

I assume the 100s are a Scottish thing, otherwise, yes, they'd be difficult to spend.

[boldie]

I got loads of 50's and 100's when I sold my car ages ago and get them from the bookies sometimes (admittedly not often enough)..they are a pain in the neck to spend though....

I assume the 100s are a Scottish thing, otherwise, yes, they'd be difficult to spend.

yeah they are...Scottish notes are a pain in the arse to spend anywhere to be honest.

I just came back from Prague and the exchange rate is much lower for Scottish pounds than it is for GB (read English) pounds. I have asked my bank several times to only give me English pounds for when I go on holiday (the exchange rate for changing more than 250£ is better in some places in Prague than it is through the banks over here even though they will tell you it's not) but they are unable (or unwilling) to do so

[tikay]

I got loads of 50's and 100's when I sold my car ages ago and get them from the bookies sometimes (admittedly not often enough)..they are a pain in the neck to spend though....

I assume the 100s are a Scottish thing, otherwise, yes, they'd be difficult to spend.

yeah they are...Scottish notes are a pain in the arse to spend anywhere to be honest.

I just came back from Prague and the exchange rate is much lower for Scottish pounds than it is for GB (read English) pounds. I have asked my bank several times to only give me English pounds for when I go on holiday (the exchange rate for changing more than 250£ is better in some places in Prague than it is through the banks over here even though they will tell you it's not) but they are unable (or unwilling) to do so

The Scottish £100 note is a thing of beauty, & I had 10 of them for years, but exept in Casinos, they are unspendable. As to the exchange rate for Scottish currency being worse than for "English", well so it should be......

[matt674]

I got loads of 50's and 100's when I sold my car ages ago and get them from the bookies sometimes (admittedly not often enough)..they are a pain in the neck to spend though....

I assume the 100s are a Scottish thing, otherwise, yes, they'd be difficult to spend.

yeah they are...Scottish notes are a pain in the arse to spend anywhere to be honest.

Is that because everyone has become so accustomed to never being able to get a scot to part with a note of any denomination?

[boldie]

I got loads of 50's and 100's when I sold my car ages ago and get them from the bookies sometimes (admittedly not often enough)..they are a pain in the neck to spend though....

I assume the 100s are a Scottish thing, otherwise, yes, they'd be difficult to spend.

yeah they are...Scottish notes are a pain in the arse to spend anywhere to be honest.

Is that because everyone has become so accustomed to never being able to get a scot to part with a note of any denomination?

probably...miserly people the whole lot of 'em.

[Rod Paradise]

I got loads of 50's and 100's when I sold my car ages ago and get them from the bookies sometimes (admittedly not often enough)..they are a pain in the neck to spend though....

I assume the 100s are a Scottish thing, otherwise, yes, they'd be difficult to spend.

yeah they are...Scottish notes are a pain in the arse to spend anywhere to be honest.

I just came back from Prague and the exchange rate is much lower for Scottish pounds than it is for GB (read English) pounds. I have asked my bank several times to only give me English pounds for when I go on holiday (the exchange rate for changing more than 250£ is better in some places in Prague than it is through the banks over here even though they will tell you it's not) but they are unable (or unwilling) to do so

Withdrawals from Barclays (Sauchiehall St, Gordon St, Airport) are all in Englandshire notes.

I shouldn't have told you that for your miserly comment though