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2 Dollars The Bank of Clifton Province du Canada
| Issuer | Bank of Clifton |
|---|---|
| Year | 1860-1861 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Central intaglio vignette of Saint George, helmeted and mounted on horseback, slaying a dragon beneath the horse's hooves, rendered in fine engraved detail against a red guilloche underprint. The bank title 'THE BANK OF CLIFTON' arches boldly across the top in large serif letterpress, flanked by circular '2' medallions in each corner, with 'TWO' lettered vertically along both side margins. The lower border carries the printer's imprint in a tablet, the capital amount, the place and date of issue, and the parliamentary incorporation notice, all framed by ornate scrollwork. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | PROVINCE OF CANADA 2 THE BANK OF CLIFTON 2 Will pay to bearer on demand on demand Two Dollars Two Dollars CLIFTON CLIFTON Sept. 1st 1861. FOR THE Bank of Clifton CAPITAL 1000000 DOLLARS INCORPORATED BY New York Bank Note Co. 50 Wall St. ACT OF PARLIAMENT 2 2 TWO TWO 2 2 |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Clifton was incorporated under the Province of Canada's Free Banking Act of 1850, which allowed note issue backed by government securities rather than a royal charter — a deliberately American-style model that most established Canadian banks despised. Clifton itself sat directly across the Niagara River from the American side, which made the bank's bilingual "Province du Canada" styling somewhat ironic given how thoroughly its operations and clientele straddled the border.
The Free Banking experiment produced a clutch of undercapitalized, short-lived institutions, and Clifton was among them. The bank failed within a few years of opening, leaving outstanding notes unredeemed.