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20 Dollars
| Issuer | Bank of British North America |
|---|---|
| Year | 184x |
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| Composition | Cotton paper |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio printed specimen on cream paper. Left vignette shows the colonial coat of arms flanked by two figures; right vignette presents a view of Niagara Falls. Oval counters bearing '20' appear at upper centre, with denomination panels reading VINGT, TWENTY, PIASTRES and DOLLARS at the corners. SPECIMEN overprint at centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER This Bank will pay the Bearer on demand TWENTY DOLLARS at TORONTO 184 VINGT TWENTY PIASTRES DOLLARS TORONTO SPECIMEN |
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| Comments |
Perkins, Bacon & Co. were the dominant force in security printing for colonial issuers throughout the mid-nineteenth century, and the Bank of British North America leaned heavily on them for exactly the reason any issuer did: their patented siderographic transfer process made plate duplication — and therefore counterfeiting — extraordinarily difficult. The "184x" dating indicates the specific year within the decade was not recorded or has not been confirmed, a common documentation gap for early colonial private bank issues.
The Bank of British North America was chartered in London in 1836 and operated branches across British North America simultaneously, which created persistent headaches around note redemption across jurisdictions long before Confederation rationalized the currency system.