Twenty Dollar Notes
Australian Banknotes Book
The introduction of decimal currency to Australia in 1966 was unequivocally one of the biggest changes ever made to the Australian monetary system.
Australian $20 notes were issued from 1966 up until they were replaced in 1994. Some notes can be particularly valuable with the right serial numbers or if in mint condition, prices for a single twenty dollar note can reach up to $19,500 for the rarest note in perfect quality.
The 3 decades over which paper decimal banknotes were produced provides collectors with a large variety of notes to collect, as well as a number of different ways of accumulating them. Some collectors like to buy notes with certain first or last prefixes in the serial numbers, others like to collect star replacement notes, while others still look to buy all of them. Printing errors on banknotes generally didn't happen too often, so notes like that can command big dollars.
Australia’s transition to polymer technology in the 1990s resulted in a vast increase in the number of collectors of paper decimal banknotes. As this broad demand base continues to increase in financial capacity and numismatic sophistication, collectors will go on to purchase rarer and higher quality notes.
Questions We Get Asked About Australian One Dollar Coins All The Time
Who Is On The Twenty Dollar Note?
On the front of the note is Mary Reibey, a successful businesswoman and trader in colonial New South Wales. She was originally transported to Australia as a convict but went on to become a respected and influential figure in early Sydney commerce. Here are a few interesting bits of information about Mary Reiby:
1. She was arrested while cross-dressing – While still in England at the age of 13, Mary ran away from her employer and disguised herself as a boy named James Burrow. She was eventually arrested for horse theft while still dressed as a male.
2. She was transported to Australia as a convict at 15 – After her arrest, Reiby was sentenced to seven years’ transportation to New South Wales, arriving on the Royal Admiral in 1792.
3. Married well—and young – At 17, she married Thomas Reibey, a junior officer with the East India Company who later became a wealthy trader and merchant. This marriage was pivotal to her future success.
4. She took over her husband’s empire when he died young – Thomas died when Mary was just 33 years old, leaving her a widow with seven children and a growing business empire to manage.
5. She defied the norms of her time – In an era when women were expected to be housewives, Mary became a powerful shipping magnate, financier, and real estate investor.
6. Became a symbol of redemption – From convict to one of the most respected women in Sydney, her life story was held up as an example of what could be achieved in the colony, regardless of one’s beginnings.
9. Invested heavily in real estate and banking – She became a founding member of the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac) and amassed a significant property portfolio around Sydney.
10. Lived to see her name cleared and reputation celebrated – In her later years, Mary was a beloved elder stateswoman, and by the time of her death in 1855 (aged 78), she was respected for her philanthropy, savvy business mind, and resilience.
On the back of the note is Reverend John Flynn, who was the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which brought essential medical services to people living in remote and rural parts of Australia. Here are a few interesting facts about the Reverend John Flynn:
1. He created the world’s first air ambulance service – Flynn’s Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), launched in 1928, was completely unprecedented, delivering medical care by plane across the outback—a wild idea that worked.
2. He was nicknamed “Flynn of the Inland” – Because he was obsessed with helping people in Australia’s vast, isolated interior, many saw him as a folk hero—almost a mythic figure among bush communities.
3. He was warned not to waste church money on wild ideas – Church leaders initially thought his plans for a flying medical service were “impractical and unrealistic.” He ignored them and got to work anyway.
4. He made bush life bearable with two-way radios – Before smartphones or even phones, Flynn helped bring two-way pedal-powered radios to remote towns and stations so people could call for medical help or just talk to their neighbors.
5. He was a master of publicity and persuasion – Flynn wasn’t just a visionary—he was a brilliant fundraiser. He won over politicians, businessmen, and the public with an unrelenting stream of letters, speeches, and newspaper articles.
6. He teamed up with a pilot who later died in a plane crash – His first collaborator, Hudson Fysh, was a WWI pilot who co-founded Qantas. Tragically, other early RFDS pilots died in service, showing how dangerous the mission really was.
7. He fought loneliness as much as disease – Flynn believed that “spiritual isolation” was just as harmful as physical ailments. His work aimed to build community in a land where neighbors were often hundreds of kilometers apart.
8. He never stopped innovating – Even in his sixties, Flynn was still experimenting with tech and logistics—radio networks, upgraded aircraft, mobile clinics—constantly adapting the RFDS to changing needs.
9. He defied orders to slow down – Church superiors repeatedly told him to reduce his ambitions, but he ignored them. His response? “There’s no slow way to save a life.”
10. He died before seeing the full scale of his impact – When Flynn died in 1951, the RFDS was already legendary, but it would grow into one of the most extensive and respected aeromedical services in the world, a legacy that outlived him by generations.
What Is A Twenty Dollar Star Note?
A star replacement note was used to replace a note that was misprinted during the printing process - they are incredibly rare, and are keenly sought by experienced banknote collectors. The Phillips Randall 20 dollar star note is regarded as being the rarest paper decimal banknote issued into circulation in Australia - it has a serial number that starts with the letter Z and has an asterisk at the end of the serial number. This article explains all about star notes - why they exist, how rare they are and why collectors are keen on them.
Note Printing Australia has always had an excellent quality control system in place, so one star replacement note would only ever be seen for between every 200 to 1,000 standard notes back when they were in circulation - this is one in every two to ten bundles of regular notes.
The mintage of the twenty dollar star note is just 62,500, which is one star note for every 1,053 ordinary notes issued at that time. Keep in mind that Australia printed more than ten BILLION paper twenty dollar notes and there are still more than 207 million of them in circulation. This note is really rare!
What Is The Old Twenty Dollar Note Worth?
Australia printed more than ten BILLION paper twenty dollar notes and (even today) there are still more than 207 million of them in circulation. This means that nearly all of the paper $20 notes still in circulation are worth no more than their face value. A small number of paper twenty dollar notes still in existence have rare serial numbers or are in mint condition, those are the notes that collectors are prepared to pay the most for. If you have some old paper twenty dollar notes and want to know what they might be worth, our ebook will show you all of the rare ones to look for and will tell you how much they're worth.