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2 Dollars
| Issuer | Exchange Bank of Toronto |
|---|---|
| Year | 1855 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Dollars |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black on white paper and carries a central agricultural vignette of two farmers at harvest, flanked by a circular guilloche medallion at left bearing the numeral '2' and a small bison vignette below it, and a sailing ship vignette at lower right. The issuer's name 'EXCHANGE BANK OF TORONTO' is set in bold letterpress across the centre, with the promise to pay 'TWO DOLLARS to the bearer' inscribed below, dated 'May 1st 1855' and 'May 1st 1855' at Toronto. The note bears the header 'SECURED BY DEPOSIT OF PROVINCIAL SECURITIES' and the geographic designation 'UPPER CANADA' across the top margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | SECURED BY DEPOSIT OF PROVINCIAL SECURITIES UPPER CANADA TWO 2 EXCHANGE BANK OF TORONTO Will pay TWO DOLLARS to the bearer May 1st 1855 Toronto May 1st 1855 Cashr. Presd. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Comments |
The Exchange Bank of Toronto was a short-lived institution — chartered in 1855, it failed within a few years, which means notes from its opening issue saw limited circulation before redemption or loss. Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson were the dominant bank note engravers in North America at this period, and Toronto banks routinely contracted them out of New York rather than using domestic printers, simply because no Canadian firm could match their intaglio work.
Survivors are rare precisely because the bank didn't last long enough to wear them out in commerce.