The anonymous donor slipped 160 albums of foreign currency into the British Heart Foundation’s Edinburgh shop at Straiton Retail Park, leaving staff perplexed about their worth.
After a forensic audit by the charity’s eBay team in Leeds, the collection’s value was confirmed, prompting BHF to enlist London auction house Noonans. Andrew Pattison, head of the banknotes department, said the set’s rarity and the charitable backdrop drove bids higher than usual.
The auction, held on 28 March, saw a 1952 South African Reserve Bank £100 colour trial fetch £7,000, while a 1947 Iraqi 10‑dinar colour trial and a Malaya‑British Borneo note with a young Queen Elizabeth II each sold for £4,000.
Noonans waived its commission, allowing the entire £85,860 to go straight to BHF, which will allocate the funds to cardiovascular research, with the first grant cycle slated for May.
Shop manager David McCormack recalled the moment the staff realized the donation’s value: "When we discovered their potential value, we were flabbergasted."
Chief commercial officer Allison Swaine‑Hughes thanked the donor and highlighted the impact: "This extraordinary collection will help accelerate life‑saving studies for patients with heart disease."