Collectable £20 banknote celebrates the Queensferry Crossing

The polymer note has a new image of the Forth Bridges on its reverse, with the Crossing visible in the background.

However of still more interest to some will be a new collectable limited edition commemorative note of the Queensferry Crossing, which is marked with “QF and QC”.

These are available from Bank of Scotland branches, but interested collectors are advised to hurry as demand is expected to be high.

Tara Foley, managing director, Bank of Scotland, said: “It is important to us that any new bank note we produce proudly represents the values and history of Scotland, and our new Bank of Scotland polymer £20 note is the result of months of careful work. We encourage people to keep an eye out for the new design and take a moment to spot some of the new features.”

One of the key security features of Bank of Scotland’s polymer notes is the anti-counterfeit ‘window effect’ which can be found in the windows of The Mound.

The £20 polymer note features a holographic depth stripe and the top of the foil features a “Northern Lights” effect when tilted, while the clouds adjacent to Victory will move left to right when tilted east to west.

Measuring 139 x 73 mm compared to the current 149 x 80mm, the notes are slightly smaller than the existing paper £20 notes in circulation.

This new size is consistent with the new £20 notes that have been issued by the Bank of England and other UK banks this year.

All existing paper Bank of Scotland £20 notes will be gradually withdrawn following the issue of the new note, but any currently in circulation will continue to be accepted at shops, banks and cash payment machines.

Earlier this month Bank of Scotland auctioned a total of 50 special commemorative notes containing the most sought after serial numbers with the AA pre-fix and raised £112,590 has been raised for Mental Health UK< its charity of the year.