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20 Dollars
| Issuer | Bank of British Columbia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879 |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Wm. Brown & Co. |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Black intaglio print on white paper. A sailing ship vignette appears at lower left, with a coin-style portrait of Queen Victoria at upper centre and a mine head vignette at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Green guilloche underprint with large overlapping numeral '20' counters at left and right flanking a central serial number panel, with the text 'BANK OF BRITISH COLUMBIA' and denomination woven into the lathe-work design. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Comments |
The Bank of British Columbia was a London-incorporated institution, chartered in 1862 to serve the gold rush economy of the Fraser River and Cariboo regions. By 1879 the rushes were long over, and the bank had repositioned itself as a commercial lender serving Victoria and the mainland — but the note-issuing business remained central to its operations in a colony, then province, largely underserved by eastern Canadian banks.
Wm. Brown & Co. was a San Francisco security printer, a natural choice for a bank whose commercial gravity pulled as much toward the Pacific coast as toward Montreal or London. The S-prefix in the Pick reference reflects its classification as a private chartered bank issue rather than a government emission — Canadian private bank notes circulated at par and were legally redeemable until the issuing bank failed or was absorbed. The Bank of British Columbia was eventually acquired by the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1901.