Catalog
1 Dollar = 5 Shillings
| Issuer | Bank of Montreal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1846-1849 |
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| Reference(s) | P#S487 |
| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a central intaglio vignette of tall-masted sailing ships on open water, flanked at left and right by standing allegorical female figures set within ornate guilloche borders with the word QUEBEC at the left margin and OTTAWA at the right. Numeral 1 counters appear in the upper corners, and the issuer's title BANK OF MONTREAL is set in bold letterpress across the top. The body of the note carries the promise-to-pay text in English, the denomination FIVE SHILLINGS in large script, place of issue QUEBEC, date, and two manuscript signatures at the foot, with capital figures cited at the lower margin. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ONE |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Montreal was already the dominant financial institution in British North America by the 1840s, yet this note straddles two currency systems simultaneously — quoting both dollars and shillings to serve a commercial population that thought in either unit depending on context. The dual denomination was a practical concession to the persistence of Halifax currency reckoning in daily trade, not a design flourish.
The American Bank Note Company imprint dates this to the earliest years of ABNCo's existence — the firm was only consolidated in 1858, meaning notes from this period were produced under one of its predecessor houses, most likely Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, who held the Bank of Montreal account at the time.