For the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death (July 18th, 1817), artist Graham Short put micro engravings of her portrait on four English five pound notes and casually spent them. So far, two of the bills have been discovered. The first was given as change from a cafe in south Wales and the second received in a Christmas card.
Short’s most recent work, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth engraved on a the head of a pin, recently sold for 100,000 pounds, so these folks had a pretty good Christmas.
There are two engraved notes still out there so check you change carefully if you’re taking a trip to England anytime soon. If you’re stuck here in America, celebrate Jane Austen’s life by just reading her books, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion.