Forged Bank of Edward Lear five pound notes have been found in currency exchanges across the town.

St Leonards flooded with forged Bank of Edward Lear five pound notes

As the ATownExploresABook Crowdfunder draws to a close (at midnight on Thursday 1 October), a source reveals that counterfeit versions of the Bank of Edward Lear five pound notes have been discovered in the pop-up currency exchanges around St Leonards. Our HOT financial advisor reports on the fraudulent fiscal activity.

The renowned Hastings Mint was active from 1066 pumping out coinage until the reign of Henry I which ended in 1145. No further currency production took place in the town until an underground mint was discovered in St Leonards-on-Sea in September 2020, run by a curious owl and a pussy cat who had gone to sea by the time authorities woke up to what was going on. The fivers printed are notable in that they are the only bank notes ever to feature a Bong Tree.

In a remarkable twist, fakes have been found in circulation in the town containing an uneven number of quince pips and strings on the guitar. The finger was pointed at the turkey on the hill. She shrugged her shoulder and was heard pronouncing, “that’s normal for St Leonards.”

With just over 24 hours left for the Owl and Pussy-Cat crowdfunder to run, residents of Hastings and St Leonards are urged to invest in Bank of Edward Lear currency via the Crowdfunder site, or risk picking up a forged note in one of the currency exchanges around St Leonards.

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