Poll: Do you have premium bonds as part of your savings?
Premium bonds celebrate their 60th birthday today - and their popularity over the decades means around one in three adults now hold the investments.
More than 21 million customers collectively hold over £63 billion-worth of premium bonds - equating to around 37% of UK adults holding the deals.
Alderman Sir Cuthbert Ackroyd, the then Lord Mayor of London, bought the first premium bond on November 1 1956.
By the end of their first day on sale, £5 million-worth of premium bonds had been sold. The first prize draw was held on June 1, 1957. There were 23,000 prizes in the first draw, with a top prize of £1,000.
Since the first draw was held, 355 million prizes with a total value of £17 billion have been handed out.
The amount bond holders can individually invest has changed significantly. In 1956, the maximum holding limit stood at £500 - but the figure is now £50,000. The top prize has also changed over the years, from £1,000 to the current £1 million jackpot.
Here are some facts and figures about premium bonds, which celebrate their 60th birthday today:
Premium bonds were launched by Harold MacMillan on April 17 1956 and first went on sale on November 1 1956
The biggest prize in 1957 was £1,000 and is now £1 million
