Catalog
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| Issuer | Bank of Ottawa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1880 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Dollars |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is a finely engraved black intaglio design on white paper with red overprint elements. A central allegorical female figure stands with outstretched arm, flanked by two oval vignettes — a First Nations man with a violin at left and a farmer at right — with a landscape scene at center below. The legend 'BANK OF OTTAWA' arches across the top, with the date 'Nov. 1880' and place 'Ottawa' inscribed, and the denomination 'TEN DOLLARS' repeated in the lower field, with zeroed serial numbers and 'SPECIMEN' overprint in red. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANK OF OTTAWA THE BANK OF OTTAWA WILL PAY ON DEMAND TO BEARER TEN DOLLARS Ottawa, 2nd Nov. 1880 SPECIMEN American Bank Note Co. New York CASHIER PRESIDENT |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Ottawa was a mid-tier chartered bank operating under the Bank Act of 1871, and this note predates the Dominion's consolidation of charter banking that would eventually sweep away dozens of smaller regional institutions. The American Bank Note Company held printing contracts for a large number of Canadian chartered banks during this period, producing work in New York for institutions that often had no practical means to verify or audit the printing process themselves — a source of periodic anxiety for bank directors of the era.
The Bank of Ottawa survived until 1919, when it was absorbed by the Canadian Bank of Commerce.