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1 Pound Sterling - Hudson's Bay Company
| Issuer | Hudson's Bay Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820-1869 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Pound |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | One Pound Sterling / HUDSONS BAY COMPANY / Promise to pay the Bearer on Demand the Sum of One Pound Sterl. at York Factory in Ruperts Land on a Bill of Exchange payable Sixty days after Sight, at the HUDSONS BAY HOUSE, London / For the Governor & Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudsons Bay / Issued at YORK FACTORY / Secretary / Governor / Accountant |
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| Protection description | Rectangular panel of engine-turned lathe-work rosettes printed on the reverse as a security underprint |
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| Comments |
Hudson's Bay Company fur-trade notes occupy a peculiar legal position: the HBC was never a chartered bank, yet it issued promissory notes redeemable in sterling at its London house or in made beaver — the standardized pelt unit of account still embedded in the company's trading arithmetic at the time. This note circulated almost exclusively within HBC trading posts across Rupert's Land, where coin was chronically scarce and the company effectively controlled the only available medium of exchange.
The fifty-year issuance window reflects continuous plate use rather than discrete series changes. Surviving examples are rare; most were redeemed and destroyed at the posts, and the isolation of those settlements meant attrition was severe.