New £20 bills enter circulation in Britain

Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The Bank of England introduced a new polymer £20 note into circulation Thursday that features an image of renowned 19th century British artist JMW Turner.

Each of Britain's major banks and card providers said they have stocked ATMs with the new notes in 19 towns and cities. The new notes are expected to be in high demand from collectors seeking bills with low serial numbers.

Among the first locations to receive the new notes were London, Manchester and the town of Margate in Kent, one of Turner's favorite spots and the home to the Turner Contemporary gallery.

The Turner note, which reproduces the artist's famous self-portrait, replaces the existing paper notes that displayed economist Adam Smith.

"The polymer £20 is the most secure Bank of England bank note yet," the Bank of England said in a statement. "It includes two see-through windows and a two-color foil which make it very difficult to counterfeit. The note will join the [Winston] Churchill £5 and the [Jane] Austen £10 in the first series of polymer notes."

A similar £50 note with early computer scientist Alan Turing will be issued next year.

With more than 2 billion £20 paper notes in circulation, the bank will wait six months before they're withdrawn.