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20 Dollars
| Issuer | Canadian Bank of Commerce, Toronto |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Dollars |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE CANADIAN BANK OF COMMERCE WILL PAY TO BEARER ON DEMAND TWENTY DOLLARS TORONTO, 2ND JULY, 1917 PRESIDENT GENERAL MANAGER XX |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in orange intaglio and presents the bank's heraldic coat of arms at centre, supported by two standing allegorical female figures — one to the left bearing a caduceus and marine symbols, the other to the right holding a sheaf of wheat — set against a lightly engraved background with agricultural and maritime emblems in the lower corners. The bold denomination numeral 20 appears in the left and right fields, with the word TWENTY inscribed beneath the central arms. The overall design reflects the high-relief engraving style characteristic of American Bank Note Company production of the period. |
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| Comments |
The Canadian Bank of Commerce was one of a handful of chartered banks still exercising their legal right to issue private currency in 1917 — a privilege that would survive until the Bank of Canada Act of 1934 finally consolidated note issue under federal control. By the time this note was printed, the chartered banks were effectively in a managed retreat, their issuance rights increasingly circumscribed by successive amendments to the Bank Act.
The American Bank Note Company's New York plant handled printing for numerous Canadian chartered institutions during this period, a straightforward commercial arrangement that drew no particular comment at the time despite the wartime sensitivity around cross-border financial operations.