Catalog
10 Dollars
| Issuer | Royal Bank of Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1913 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio print on white paper with a central vignette of a battleship at full steam, framed by elaborate guilloche borders and flanked by crossed flags on either side. The header bears the inscriptions DOMINION OF CANADA and THE ROYAL BANK OF OF CANADA, with MONTREAL and the date JAN 2nd 1913 below; the denomination numeral 10 appears in all four corners. The lower portion carries two manuscript signatures above the printer's imprint American Bank Note Co. Ottawa. |
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| Reverse lettering | THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA TEN 10 AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY OTTAWA |
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| Comments |
The Royal Bank of Canada's pre-WWI Dominion-era chartered bank notes occupied a legally peculiar space: issued by a private commercial bank under federal charter, they were not legal tender but circulated freely by convention and redemption obligation. The American Bank Note Company's Ottawa plant, established specifically to serve Canadian chartered banks, handled much of this work domestically rather than routing it through the New York parent — a distinction that matters for plate identification and serial numbering conventions.
Chartered bank notes in Canada were phased out by the Bank of Canada Act of 1934, with final redemption deadlines eliminating most from circulation. The 1913 series predates the severe contraction years, so issued and cancelled examples both surface, but unissued remainders are the more common survivor.