This fine and very rare £20 Lady Lavery note from the Central Bank of Ireland with a War Code from 1943 comes up at Dix Noonan Webb in London on November 25 with an estimate of £4,000-£5,000. It is a highlight from the collection of the late Gus Mac Amhlaigh of Dublin. Most of his collection is Irish and will be auctioned in several parts over the next year. It also contains groups from Scotland and the Isle of Man. Lots 196 to 334 in the November sale are from his collection. Gus Mac Amhlaigh began collecting banknotes in the early 1970’s. A civil servant he moved from the Department of the Environment to the Custom House Docks Development Authority. He was a key figure in formulating the first masterplan for the Dublin Docklands, primarily focused the International Financial Services Centre. He was responsible for the largest ever regeneration scheme in the history of the State. More than 21,000 people are now employed in the docklands and a further 22,000 people live in the area. He left the Docklands Authority in 1999 and became ceo of the Irish Pension Unit Trust, one of the largest property funds in the country. He worked there until his retirement in 2007 and then joined the board of directors of the commercial estate agents, Bannon Commercial.
