Charity shop raises £85,860 from donated banknotes, including one featuring young Queen Elizabeth II

A rare uncirculated banknote featuring a young Queen Elizabeth II, issued in Malaya and British Borneo. Photo: Noonans A collection of rare banknotes that arrived anonymously at a charity shop in Edinburgh has raised £85,860 at an auction held on Wednesday. The British Heart Foundation (BHF), which received the donation, will use the money to support research into heart and circulatory diseases. The collection contained almost 160 lots, including a banknote featuring a young Queen Elizabeth II and rare currency specimens from Iraq and Saudi Arabia.The sale was handled by London auction house Noonans, which attracted bids from collectors around the world. According to the auction house, several notes sold for more than they might ordinarily have fetched because buyers knew the proceeds would support a charitable cause.For the British Heart Foundation, the collection had arrived without any indication of its value. Employees at its Edinburgh store were unfamiliar with the notes and had initially been unable to assess their importance.The albums were eventually examined by specialists, leading to an auction that brought in more than £85,000. Noonans also agreed not to charge its vendo...