Catalog
10 Dollars = 50 Shillings
| Issuer | Bank of Montreal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1851 |
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| Reference(s) | P#S500 |
| Obverse description | The obverse presents an elaborate engraved design with a heraldic vignette at the upper left incorporating a coat of arms flanked by indigenous and classical figures, and a steam locomotive vignette at the upper right. The central text panel, set within ornate guilloche borders, bears the promise to pay in both dollars and shillings, with the date and place of issue — Toronto, 1st July, 1851 — printed in bold letterpress. The denomination "TEN DOLLARS" appears in a decorative panel at the foot of the note, with serial numbers and the word "TORONTO" printed vertically in red at each margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | INCORPORATED BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT FOR VALUE RECEIVED THE BANK OF MONTREAL Will pay the Bearer on demand at its Office in this City FIFTY SHILLINGS Cy. 1851, 1st July. TORONTO. 1st July, 1851. TEN DOLLARS For the Bank of Montreal 3,750,000 — CAPITAL $5,000,000 TORONTO |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Montreal was chartered in 1817 and operated as the closest thing Canada had to a central bank for much of the nineteenth century, managing government accounts and acting as fiscal agent for the Province of Canada. This dual-denomination note — expressed in both dollars and shillings — reflects the genuine monetary confusion of the period, when Halifax currency, York currency, and U.S. dollar equivalents all circulated simultaneously and merchants needed conversion values printed directly on instruments to avoid constant dispute.
The shilling notation was dropped from Bank of Montreal issues after decimal currency was formally adopted in the Province of Canada in 1858.