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20 Dollars
| Issuer | Royal Bank of Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
| Type | Pattern or trial banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in blue and black on white cotton paper, centred on a large allegorical vignette of a seated female figure accompanied by a lion, rendered in fine intaglio engraving. Large numeral 20 counters appear at left and right within ornate guilloche ovals, and the bank title 'Royal Bank of Canada' arches across the upper portion in bold script lettering. The lower portion carries the place and date inscription 'Montreal, Jan. 2nd 1909' flanked by matching serial numbers, with 'TWENTY DOLLARS' in letterpress below the central vignette. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA WILL PAY TO BEARER ON DEMAND TWENTY DOLLARS MONTREAL, JAN. 2ND 1909 DOMINION OF CANADA 20 |
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| Comments |
The Royal Bank of Canada was still headquartered in Halifax when its earliest chartered note series were issued, but by 1909 the bank had relocated to Montreal and was aggressively expanding across the country. This particular denomination sat at the upper end of practical daily commerce — useful for large mercantile transactions but rarely handled by ordinary wage earners, which partly accounts for its relative scarcity in circulated grades today.
American Bank Note Company produced the plates in New York, as they did for a significant portion of Canadian chartered banking paper during this period. The ABNC's dominance of that market meant many competing banks shared similar engraving conventions, though the Royal Bank series maintained its own distinct plate numbering.
Chartered bank issues in Canada were privately backed obligations, redeemable by the issuing institution — not government legal tender.