An artist famed for his miniature masterpieces has provided a spark of Willy Wonka-esque magic to Caerphilly County Borough.
Graham Short, who specialises in small-scale engravings, has distributed four unique £5 notes – estimated to be worth upwards of £20,000 each – across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The £5 notes are engraved with a portrait of Jane Austen as part of an art project by the Birmingham-based artist.
On Monday December 12, it was revealed that such a note was spent in the Square Cafe in Blackwood High Street, unbeknown to the owner, at the end of last week.
The project aims to put some of Short’s art – which has previously sold for six-figure sums – back into the hands of ordinary people.
Mr Short, 70, said: “I’m always looking to do something different and as soon as I saw the new £5 note I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be good if I could engrave something on it?’
“I didn’t know what, but then I found out it was going to be the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death and her image is also going on the new £10 note, so it ties in nicely with that.
“I’ve no idea how much they will be worth but £20,000 is a conservative estimate – previous pieces I’ve done have been insured for more than £50,000 and the last work, the portrait of HM The Queen on the eye of a needle fetched £100,000.
“So, we came up with the idea of putting a note into each of the countries and I had a nice trip to Caerphilly last week to spend one in the Square Café. Now, I’m just hoping someone finds it in time to get some extra money for Christmas.”
On each of the new plastic £5 notes, Short has engraved a 5mm portrait of Austen, encircled by a famous quote on the transparent section to the right of Big Ben.
The portrait is revealed when rubbed, and the four notes distributed have the serial numbers: AM32 885551, AM32 885552, AM32 885553, and AM32 885554.
Anyone who finds one of the notes can contact the Tony Huggins-Haig Gallery, based on the Scottish border, which launched the project with Mr Short and which has previously housed his work.
The gallery will provide advice on how to put the artwork up for auction.
Mr Short’s previous engraving work saw etchings on items such as a razor blade edge, a pinhead, a brass screw, a football stud and Stephen Fry’s fountain pen.
His art requires such skill that he only works between midnight and 5am, when traffic is quiet and road vibrations low.
The work requires such precision, that Mr Short reduces his heart-rate down to 30 beats per minute and engraves between beats. He even binds his right arm to a chair to reduce body movement.
Have you found the unique £5 note? Contact us to share your story on 02921 250855.