Catalog
1 Piastre = 5 Shillings
| Issuer | Molsons Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1855 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The obverse presents a central vignette of a three-masted sailing vessel under sail, flanked on the left by a seated allegorical female figure and on the right by a second allegorical vignette, with large numeral "1" counters in the lower corners. The bank title "MOLSONS BANK" is set in bold letterpress across the upper portion, with the dual denomination "UNE PIASTRE / FIVE SHILLINGS" inscribed in red below the central vignette. The place and date of issue, Toronto, October 1st 1855, appear in the lower register, with the charter legend "CHARTERED BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT" along the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | MOLSONS BANK UNE PIASTRE FIVE SHILLINGS TORONTO October 1st 1855 CHARTERED BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT PAYABLE AT TORONTO CURRENCY |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Molsons Bank, chartered in Montreal in 1855, was one of the few Canadian private banks to issue notes denominated in both piastres and shillings simultaneously — a direct response to the currency chaos of mid-19th-century British North America, where Spanish milled dollars, British sterling, and Halifax currency all circulated alongside each other with no fixed agreement on equivalence. The dual denomination on this note is a legislative artifact: Upper and Lower Canada operated under different monetary conventions, and a bank with ambitions in both provinces had to speak both languages.
The American Bank Note Company's involvement places the printing in New York, which was standard for chartered Canadian banks of this period that could not yet rely on domestic security printers of sufficient capability.