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2 Dollars - Union Bank of Newfoundland
| Issuer | Union Bank of Newfoundland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1882 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1865-1949) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse carries a central vignette with a portrait of John W. Smith flanked by allegorical elements including a codfish and a Newfoundland dog with a safe, rendered in fine intaglio engraving. Denomination counters appear at the corners, with the bank title and place of issue inscribed across the upper and lower registers. The overall design incorporates guilloche underprint work typical of American Bank Note Company production of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | $2 UNION BANK OF NEWFOUNDLAND $2 SAINT JOHNS 1st May 1882 We promise to pay the bearer on demand TWO DOLLARS CURRENCY IN SPECIE ACCOUNTANT MANAGER American Bank Note Co. New York |
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| Comments |
The Union Bank of Newfoundland was chartered in 1854 and operated entirely outside the Canadian banking framework until Confederation absorbed Newfoundland in 1949 — meaning notes like this one circulated in a jurisdiction that ran its own currency system well into the twentieth century. In 1882, Newfoundland still denominated in dollars pegged loosely to its own standard, not the Canadian dollar, which adds a layer of monetary complexity that the face value alone doesn't communicate.
The American Bank Note Company held the contract for much of Newfoundland's commercial paper printing during this period. ABNC's New York plant produced work for dozens of colonial and semi-autonomous issuers simultaneously, and the engraving quality on Union Bank material is consistent with their mid-tier commercial commissions of the 1880s.