Catalog
2 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque Canadienne |
|---|---|
| Year | 1836 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| 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 |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Black letterpress note with a central vignette of a seated female figure surrounded by agricultural implements and a cow, flanked on each side by large guilloche-bordered numeral 2 medallions. The upper left corner carries a standing allegorical female figure with a shield, while a small inset panel at lower left bears the inscription DEUX / 2 / PIASTRES. The text LOWER CANADA appears beneath the left medallion and CANADA beneath the right, with BANQUE CANADIENNE. across the top in bold serif lettering. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Green-printed reverse dominated by a grid of large circular guilloche rosettes arranged in rows, with a central oval vignette containing a full-length standing male figure in period dress, holding a sword or cane. The overall layout is geometric and symmetrical, with fine lathe-work patterns filling the background of each rosette. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Banque Canadienne was a short-lived institution chartered in Lower Canada during a period of intense political friction between the colonial assembly and British authorities — the same years that produced the Ninety-Two Resolutions and, ultimately, the 1837–38 Rebellions. Whether this note ever circulated meaningfully is unclear; the bank's operational history is poorly documented, and surviving examples are rare enough that no reliable circulation data exists.
The piastre denomination reflects the Spanish dollar unit still in common use in Lower Canada at the time, before decimal standardization under the 1841 Province of Canada currency reforms phased it out.