Catalog
2 Dollars
| Issuer | Bank of Brantford, Sault St. Marie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1859 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | P#S1574 |
| Obverse description | Printed in black ink over an orange-red underprint, the obverse centres on a large vignette of a rural Canadian landscape with horse-drawn wagons and a steam locomotive visible in the background. An allegorical female figure with agricultural motifs occupies the lower left, balanced at lower right by a seated male figure with a hammer symbolising industry and commerce. The bold letterpress legend 'THE BANK OF BRANTFORD' spans the upper field, with 'TWO DOLLARS' and the branch designation 'SAULT ST. MARIE' below, and the charter inscription 'INCORPORATED BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT — PROVINCE OF CANADA' along the lower border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is essentially unprinted, presented on plain white cotton paper with faint ghosting of the obverse design visible through the sheet. Two lightly impressed '2' counter medallions appear at left and right, with a barely legible impression of the bank name at centre, consistent with a note that was never fully backed or issued in regular circulation. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Brantford was a short-lived Ontario institution whose ambitions outpaced its charter — it never achieved full operational status, and notes issued under its name occupy an awkward legal grey area between legitimate bank paper and promotional scrip. The Sault Ste. Marie payable designation is the real curiosity here: routing a Brantford bank note through a remote northern Ontario outpost in 1859 suggests either a specific commercial relationship with resource operations in the region or, more likely, an attempt to establish a circulation footprint ahead of formal licensing.
ABNC's involvement guarantees engraving quality well above what the issuer's standing would imply.