Catalog
100 Barbados Dollars (20 Pounds 16 Shillings 8 Pence)
| Issuer | Royal Bank of Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Dollars |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black intaglio on a light orange guilloche underprint, with the bank title 'THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA' in bold letterpress across the top. A central vignette depicts a seated allegorical female figure accompanied by a palm tree and tropical scenery, flanked by serial number panels and denomination numerals '100' at upper left and right. The place and date of issue 'Bridgetown, Barbados, January 2nd 1920' appear in script at lower left, with the sterling equivalent 'ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN BARBADOS CURRENCY BEING THE EQUIVALENT OF TWENTY POUNDS SIXTEEN SHILLINGS AND EIGHT PENCE' inscribed across the lower portion; a 'SPECIMEN' overprint and ABNC imprint are present at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ONE HUNDRED BARBADOS DOLLARS THE EQUIVALENT OF £20-16-8 THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA DIEU ET MON DROIT |
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| Comments |
The Royal Bank of Canada operated branches throughout the Caribbean from the early twentieth century, and this note reflects the awkward transitional moment when Barbados was moving away from sterling-denominated accounting. The dual denomination — 100 Barbados Dollars expressed alongside its sterling equivalent of 20 Pounds 16 Shillings 8 Pence — was not decorative; it was a legal and commercial necessity for a colony where both systems ran concurrently in trade and contract settlement.
American Bank Note Company's Ottawa facility handled the job. By 1920 that plant had been printing Canadian chartered bank issues for decades, making it the natural choice for a Canadian-chartered bank's colonial branch currency.