Catalog
1 Dollar
| Issuer | Bank of Canada / Banque du Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1954 |
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| Value | 1 Dollar |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Green and black intaglio-printed note with a central guilloche underprint bearing the bilingual inscription CANADA in large letters, flanked by the denominations ONE DOLLAR and UN DOLLAR. A portrait vignette of Queen Elizabeth II appears at the right, rendered in fine intaglio engraving. The issuing authority BANK OF CANADA – BANQUE DU CANADA is inscribed across the lower centre, with the place of issue OTTAWA and date 1954 noted below the signatures. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in green, the reverse carries a wide panoramic vignette of a Canadian prairie landscape with flat fields, telegraph poles lining a road receding to the horizon, and an expansive dramatic sky with billowing clouds. The denomination ONE DOLLAR – UN DOLLAR appears at the top centre, with vertical inscriptions on both side margins, and the bilingual bank title BANK OF CANADA – BANQUE DU CANADA along the lower border. |
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| Comments |
The 1954 series is best known for the "Devil's Face" controversy — in the original engraving, shadowing in the hair behind the Queen's ear was widely perceived to contain a demonic profile. The Bank of Canada modified the plate, softening the highlight, and later printings are catalogued separately as the "modified" type. The Beattie-Coyne signature combination spans both variants, so signature alone won't tell you which you have.
Beattie-Rasminsky notes reflect Coyne's 1961 resignation under political pressure from the Diefenbaker government — one of the few cases where a Canadian central bank governor was effectively forced out by Parliament.