A TOTAL of £6,790 was raised for local charities from an auction held at the launch reception for the new Falkland Islands bank notes.
The new £5, £10 and £20 notes were launched at the Historic Dockyard Museum on August 13. They will enter circulation on August 14 – Falklands Day.
Financial Secretary Pat Clunie explained, “we didn’t just want to walk along Ross Road with a wad of bank notes and go to the bank ‘here you go.’ We thought ‘what can we do that’s going to bring the community together.’”
The 16 lots up for grabs in the auction included bank notes with specific serial numbers such as 140682 – the full date of Liberation Day; 1592 – the year of the first sighting of the Falklands; and 2013 – the year of the referendum.
Single notes where people could choose their own year for the serial number were also on sale, as well as uncut sheets of the new money.
The money raised will be donated to seven local charities: FI Arts Council, Multicultural Falklands, FI Girl Guides, SAMA 82, Stephen Jaffray Memorial Trust, Cancer Support and Awareness Trust, and Liberty Lodge.
A full set of bank notes with the serial number 1982 will be donated to the museum.
Mr Clunie added of the auction, “it absolutely exceeded my expectations… I can’t tell you how pleased I am, not just for the evening and how it’s gone and the money raised for charity, but for the engagement and just how everyone has been so engaged in the whole process. I think it’s been fabulous.”
The polymer notes are the first new bank notes the Falklands has had since 1984 and showcase a range of security features including raised ink and patterns that show under UV light.
The front of the note shows a portrait of King Charles III alongside a map of the Falklands and albatross, with a King penguin in the clear window. The reverse shows the Jason Islands next to Pale Maidens drawn by Louise Clarke – when notes are placed together the pattern repeats.
The new look notes will gradually enter circulation, with bricks of 1,000 of each note being taken to the bank initially. Mr Clunie indicated that a decision on when the old notes would cease to be legal tender has not yet been made, but it would likely be around the middle of 2026.