Banknotes can still be exciting in our increasingly cashless society.

On Wednesday morning, in front of the Bank of England headquarters, a queue formed – that is, a British queue, the same as the American one but more orderly – from which people emerged with collectibles: the first banknotes with the writing King Charles III Portrait on them.

In the queue were avid coin collectors, people with nostalgic feelings towards the new banknote (the first in their life to show a new monarch) and some tourists who needed to exchange old money.

The bank issued £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes in the new designs, which are similar in color scheme to the circulating notes with Queen Elizabeth II on them. Banknotes featuring the Queen’s portrait will remain in circulation throughout the country, along with those featuring King Charles’ portrait.

Although the English are used to seeing the monarch with their money, this has not always been the case. The Bank of England began printing banknotes in 1725, but it wasn’t until 1960 that banknotes featured the monarch. Up until that point, Britannia – the personification of Great Britain – had been the only character on the bill.