Inspired by the Totnes pound and BerkShare, the currency was introduced with the blessing of the town council in September 2008 by Transition Town Lewes as a community response to the challenges of climate change and peak oil.

[3] As of 2017[update], notes in circulation are:[citation needed] A special issue was printed for the 750th anniversary of the Battle of Lewes in mid-2014.

[5] Occasionally local businesses give a discount for payment in Lewes Pounds.

Some of the earliest notes were sold on eBay for substantially higher values, which led the Lewes Pound CIC to start selling collectors packs of LPs to help fund its operations.

The front features a picture of the South Downs with an image of Lewes resident Thomas Paine and a quotation of his: "We have it in our power to build the world anew".