Withdrawal from Circulation:

According to Central Bank of Ireland records, all £20, £50 and £100 ‘ploughman’ notes were successfully withdrawn from circulation, i.e. there are no ‘circulating’ examples left for collectors to collect. That said, the remaining £1, £5 and £10 ‘ploughman’ notes aren’t exactly common nowadays either – as per table below:

There are, however, a variety of proofs, specimens and/or ‘colour trials’ available and when they appear at auction, they are usually snapped up quickly by collectors after some frenetic bidding battles.

Ploughman £20 note

• Obverse:
  • Red, with a pink and green background
• Reverse:
  • Red, with a mauve background
  • Rock of Cashel

£20 ‘ploughman’ note (reverse design – showing the Rock of Cashel, Co Tipperary)

£20 Ploughman – Color trial specimen in orange and multicolored printed by TDLR (obverse)

£20 Ploughman – Color trial specimen in orange and multicolored printed by TDLR (reverse)

Ploughman £50 note

• Obverse:
  • Mauve, with a grey and pink background
• Reverse:
  • Mauve, with a green background
  • Croagh Patrick Mountain, Co Mayo

£50 ‘ploughman’ note (reverse design – showing Croagh Patrick, Co Mayo)

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Ploughman £100 note

• Obverse:
  • Olive-green, with a green and brown background
• Reverse:
  • Brown, with a mauve background
  • Killiney Bay, Co Dublin

£100 ‘ploughman’ note (reverse design – showing Killiney Bay, Co Dublin)

£100 ploughman, Bank of Ireland, One Hundred Pounds, specimen 1978 obverse

2016 Market Values

Bank of Ireland

Market Values for Ploughman Specimens, Colour Trials and Uniface Proofs  (£20-£100 notes)