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1 Dollar - Prosperity Certificate Alberta
| Issuer | Government of Alberta |
|---|---|
| Year | 1936 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse consists entirely of a dated stamp grid spanning from September 1936 through August 1938, arranged in weekly intervals across multiple rows. Four green Alberta 1-Cent stamp affixing spaces appear in the upper left corner, as the certificate required a 1-cent stamp to be affixed each week to maintain its validity — a defining feature of the Social Credit stamp-scrip mechanism. Each dated cell corresponds to a specific week during the certificate's two-year circulation period. |
| Reverse lettering | ALBERTA 1 CENT |
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| Comments |
Alberta's Prosperity Certificates were a direct application of Silvio Gesell's "stamp scrip" theory — a social credit experiment pushed through by Premier William Aberhart's government in August 1936. Each certificate required a one-cent stamp to be affixed weekly to maintain its face value, a demurrage mechanism designed to force circulation and prevent hoarding. In practice, the public found the stamp requirement cumbersome and many merchants refused the notes outright.
The scheme collapsed within months. The federal government had serious constitutional doubts about provincial currency issuance, and the program was quietly wound down before Ottawa formally intervened. Fewer than 250,000 dollars' worth were ever issued against a planned much larger rollout.
Aberhart's signature appears alongside Provincial Treasurer Cockroft's — unusual for a premier to sign currency directly.