Catalog
1 Dollar
| Issuer | Bank of British North America, Victoria |
|---|---|
| Year | 1859 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse carries the bold heading 'THE BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA' with 'INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER' beneath, flanked by the word 'VICTORIA' at upper left and right. A central allegorical vignette shows a seated female figure amid foliage, with the large green guilloche-style numeral 'ONE DOLLAR' overprint across the centre of the note. To the lower left is a portrait medallion of Queen Victoria, while to the right an oval numeral '1' medallion balances the composition; serial number No. 251 appears twice in the mid-field, and the place and date 'Victoria, 1st December 1859, Vancouver's Island' are inscribed in manuscript. |
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| Variants | S396a - issued note |
| Comments |
The Bank of British North America was a London-chartered institution operating branches across British North America, and the Victoria branch opened just as the Fraser River Gold Rush was transforming the region from a quiet fur-trade outpost into a chaotic boomtown. This note was issued into that environment — one where American gold dust, Hudson's Bay Company scrip, and U.S. greenbacks all competed for acceptance alongside British colonial paper.
Pick 396 is among the earliest locally-issued banknotes from what would become British Columbia, predating Confederation by over a decade. The colony of British Columbia itself wasn't formally proclaimed until August 1858, making this 1859 date extraordinarily early for institutional paper currency from the Pacific Northwest.