Minted: public rush to snap up valuable new King Charles

Some enthusiasts queued for hours outside of the Bank of England to get their hands on the new currency, while others withdrew it by chance

When Laurent Benson arrived in London from Belgium, on his to-do list was a trip to Threadneedle Street to exchange some old sterling at the Bank of England.

Little did he know that the timing of his errand on Wednesday meant he would be among the first to take possession of a new kind of banknote, the first to feature the image of King Charles and, for that reason, a bundle of cash likely to be worth a lot more than the number printed on the side.