Rare £5 note worth up to £50,000 found in Christmas card

The lucky recipient of a Christmas card in the Scottish Borders could be £50,000 richer after the £5 note they received it turned out to be one of four engraved with a tiny portrait of Jane Austen.

The new owner - who wishes to remain anonymous - received the note from a relative who did not realise they were giving away a small fortune.

Prior to Thursday's discovery, another note was found in south Wales earlier in December when it was given to the recipient as change in a cafe, meaning that two remain in circulation.

With two still in unsuspecting people's pockets, Brits are being urged to check their new fivers after the engraved notes were circulated as part of a Willy Wonka-style 'Golden Ticket' giveaway.

While the outlines of the golden engravings are invisible to the naked eye - and can only be seen with a microscope - the two remaining notes have the serial numbers AM32 885552 and AM32 885554.

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The project was launched by the Tony Huggins-Haig Gallery in Kelso, in the Scottish Borders, with specialist micro-engraver Graham Short creating the mini artworks of Jane Austen and her famous quotes on the notes.

Each note has been distributed to a different part of the UK - with Kelso in the Scottish Borders picked as one of the locations.

Mr Huggins-Haig said the latest finder, who works in education had been to the gallery to have the note verified.

He said: "They are completely delighted to have it and it's getting framed and going on the wall.

"Of the two that have been found, both are with people who want to keep them as art. They've both been found by wonderful people who are very deserving.

"We've let the £5 notes go out there and it's been brilliantly received by people."

He added that the project had generated worldwide interest and he has been contacted by Russian, Chinese and Indian television companies.

Mr Huggins-Haig spent one of the notes in Granny Jean's bakery in Kelso on December 5 to start the project, sparking a huge surge in custom when he revealed the move days later.

Head baker Alan Malone said he was "gutted" to have inadvertently given it away in change.

Mr Short's last piece of art, a portrait of the Queen engraved on a speck of gold inside the eye of a needle, sold for £100,000.