In the northern England city of Gateshead, for example, a De La Rue PLC plant prints bank notes on behalf of several euro-zone countries, according to people familiar with the matter.

WSJ: Banks Prep for Life After Euro

It may not be surprising, then, that the world's largest angel sculpture is only a decade old and stands, not in some cathedral, but at the head of the Team valley overlooking Gateshead, in the postindustrial north of England.

ECONOMIST: Angels

The Gateshead facility also serves as a backup plant for the Bank of England, which has a separate contract with De La Rue to print British pounds, according to a Bank of England spokesman.

WSJ: Banks Prep for Life After Euro