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20 Dollars
| Issuer | Canadian Bank of Commerce |
|---|---|
| Year | 1922 |
| Type | Non-issued banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse centres on a finely engraved intaglio vignette of a seated allegorical female figure accompanied by a terrestrial globe and bales of merchandise, emblematic of commerce and trade. Ornate guilloche rosettes at left and right each bear the denomination "20 DOLLARS" within a shield-shaped panel, with the word "BARBADOS" printed vertically along both lateral margins. The upper border carries the issuer's name in bold serif letterpress, while the lower register bears the place and date of issue "BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS" and "2ND JANUARY 1922" flanking the large intaglio inscription "TWENTY DOLLARS". |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE CANADIAN BANK OF COMMERCE 20 DOLLARS IN BARBADOS CURRENCY BARBADOS BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS ON DEMAND TWENTY DOLLARS 2ND JANUARY 1922 |
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| Comments |
The Canadian Bank of Commerce was one of the few Canadian chartered banks still issuing its own currency into the early 1920s, a practice that would effectively end with the 1934 Bank of Canada Act. This 1922 issue came off the American Bank Note Company's New York presses at a time when ABNC held the dominant share of Canadian chartered bank note contracts — a commercial relationship that dated back to the mid-nineteenth century and produced a remarkably consistent visual grammar across competing institutions.
Chartered bank notes of this period circulated alongside Dominion of Canada government issues, and the $20 denomination saw genuine commercial use rather than sitting idle in reserve. Survivors with honest wear are not uncommon, but unissued remainders also exist.