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100 Dollars Bank of St. Thomas
| Issuer | Bank of St. Thomas |
|---|---|
| Year | 1837 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress and intaglio on white paper. At left, a portrait vignette of Christopher Columbus accompanies a steamship; at centre, a large vignette of the landing of Columbus is rendered in fine engraving; allegorical figures occupy the right panel. The note carries a manuscript payee line above the bearer clause. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Uniface; the reverse is unprinted, showing only the blind emboss and ink strike-through of the obverse vignettes visible through the paper, with no intentional printed design. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of St. Thomas operated in St. Thomas, Ontario — a town platted with considerable ambition in the 1820s and briefly expected to become a major commercial hub before railway routes consolidated elsewhere. This note dates from the chaotic period of Upper Canadian free banking, when dozens of chartered and unchartered institutions issued their own paper against specie reserves that were often inadequate or fictitious.
The New England Bank Note Company, Boston, was one of the dominant suppliers of engraved currency to North American issuers in this period, serving banks on both sides of the border. The $100 denomination was rarely circulated in the ordinary sense — notes of this size moved between merchants and institutions, not through daily trade.
The Bank of St. Thomas lost its charter not long after this series was issued, leaving redemption uncertain.