Catalog
1 Dollar
| Issuer | Bank of Upper Canada, Kingston |
|---|---|
| Year | 1819 |
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| Value | 1 Dollar |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is laid out in a horizontal format typical of early North American private bank issues, with large numeral "1" counters in each corner and two oval guilloche medallions flanking a central vignette of a rural landscape with a body of water and what appears to be a bridge or wharf scene. The text block in the centre reads "BANK OF UPPER CANADA" in bold letterpress, with a manuscript promise-to-pay clause stating the note is payable on demand out of the Joint Funds of the Association, issued at Kingston. The place and date line at lower centre reads "Kingston Jan. 1st 1819," with manuscript signatures of the Cashier and President below. |
|---|---|
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| Variants | S1991a - dated 29.03.1819 and 01.05.1819 S1991b - dated 01.01.1820 |
| Comments |
The Bank of Upper Canada in Kingston was a short-lived institution — not to be confused with the far better-known Bank of Upper Canada chartered in York (later Toronto) in 1821. The Kingston bank operated under a separate charter and collapsed before the York bank ever opened, which is precisely why notes from this issuer are so rarely encountered. The two are frequently conflated in dealer listings, a persistent error that distorts both attribution and pricing.
Any surviving example from this 1819 issue should be treated with serious skepticism until provenance is established.