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1 Pound Sterling
| Issuer | Hudson's Bay Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Plain cream paper note with letterpress text in a sparse, utilitarian layout. The title 'One Pound Sterling.' appears in large blackletter script at the top centre, flanked by handwritten serial numbers 'No. 404' at both upper left and upper right. The body carries a printed promise-to-pay text reading 'On demand I promise to pay the Bearer, at Fort Garry, the Sum of ONE POUND Sterling, in a Bill of Exchange on the Hudson's Bay Company, London,' with the date 'Dated at Fort Garry, this 2nd day of May 1870' completed by hand. A circular manuscript countersignature stamp appears at lower left alongside a cursive authorising signature with the inscription 'for Hudsons Bay Co.' at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | One Pound Sterling. On demand I promise to pay the Bearer, at Fort Garry, the Sum of ONE POUND Sterling, in a Bill of Exchange on the Hudson's Bay Company, London. Dated at Fort Garry, this 2nd day of May 1870 for Hudsons Bay Co. |
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| Comments |
Hudson's Bay Company scrip occupies an unusual corner of North American monetary history. By 1870, the HBC had formally transferred Rupert's Land to Canada — the deed of transfer was signed in November 1869 — yet the Company continued issuing notes at Fort Garry through the transition period, partly because Dominion banking infrastructure simply didn't exist yet on the prairies. This note is a direct product of that administrative vacuum.
Fort Garry printing means the note was produced locally, not by a professional security printer in London or Montreal. That matters: paper quality, printing consistency, and forgery resistance were all substantially lower than contemporary chartered bank issues.