A collection of classic Bermuda notes — including a series of specimens never publicly released — will go on display this month.

Peter and Linda Adderley are preparing to display their “Adderley Collection” of Bermudian currency around the island, starting with Fourways Inn, to highlight a small but notable part of local history.

Among the more than 300 notes are everything from the common pound, shilling and dollar notes to rarities.

Mr Adderly said: “It’s a part of our history. If these notes could talk, they would tell a lot of stories. I thought it would be a shame to have such a collection and not let the youth of Bermuda or the wider community see this part of Bermuda’s heritage.

“I love Bermuda notes, and we have some beautiful currency. The new currency has nothing on the old currency. It was really, really nice. You see the City of Hamilton and other places in Bermuda, Bermuda’s heritage, whereas today you have fish and all that.”

Mr Adderley said that currency is just one of the items he collects, noting that over the years he has also amassed art, stamps and other antique items.

However, he said that old Bermuda currency has always had a place in his heart.

“My favourite would be the Bermuda notes,” he said. “It would be the 1941 King George £5 notes. I have binders of currency from other nations, but Bermudian notes are a part of my heritage. It’s where I’m from, money I used to use years and years ago. I know I used to sometimes spend my pennies buying candy. I find Bermuda’s currency very unique. I enjoy collecting Bermuda currency. I get excited, because not too many people have it.”

He said that Bermudian currency is of high demand for collectors, in part due to the island’s small size leading to bills being comparatively rare.

“What brings demand to these things is supply and demand. The less supply, the more demand, and the more people are after it,” he said. “These notes are sought-after all over the world. I go on websites and I see people from China, Singapore, Thailand, all looking for these notes.”

However, he was hesitant to estimate how much the bills would be worth, saying: “It’s only ever worth what someone is willing to pay for it.”

While the collection is first set to go on display at Fourways Inn on May 7, he said it may later come to the island’s hotels to give visitors a glimpse of Bermuda’s past.

“It took a lot of time, effort and expense to accumulate this, and I want other people to be able to appreciate it,” he said.

He invited other businesses who would like to display the collection to contact him at 799-1663 or e-mail regolinda@yahoo.com