Bank notes auction nets retired artist £542,500

A collection of bank note designs and specimens sold for £542,500 at an auction, more than double the total it was expected to fetch.

Richard Adams, who lives in Wiltshire, joined the New Malden-based British banknote printing company Bradbury Wilkinson & Co in 1972 aged 24 and retired in 2016.

The collection was sold by auctioneers Special Auction Services (SAS) in Newbury, which had expected to collect £200,000 for about 300 designs, essays, models and test prints from Bradbury Wilkinson.

A one-sided specimen proof of a 100 Riyals bank note, produced for the then Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, was initially expected to fetch between £300 and £500 but was sold for £50,000.

A rare and hand-painted essay of a bank note design, possibly a model for a Saudi Arabia One Riyal note, thought to date from the 1930s, sold for £28,750.

Thomas Forrester, director at SAS, said he was "delighted" with the result.

"It has been a pleasure to work alongside Richard Adams, whose knowledge and passion for his career has been an inspiration.

"The prices achieved are a true reflection of that passion. The originality and freshness of the bank notes to the market also contributed to the high demand and great prices realised."