Catalog
3 Dollars
| Issuer | Commercial Bank of Canada, Collingwood |
|---|---|
| Year | 1861 |
| 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 | Rectangular |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | COMMERCIAL BANK OF CANADA WILL PAY ON DEMAND THREE DOLLARS CAPITAL $1,000,000 COLLINGWOOD INCORPORATED BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT 3 THREE DOLLARS |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries no printed design, the plain paper sheet showing age-toning, foxing, and fold lines consistent with circulation use, with only faint ghost impressions of the obverse intaglio visible through the stock. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Commercial Bank of Canada had branches scattered across Ontario, and Collingwood — a Georgian Bay port town that had only incorporated as a village in 1858 — was an unlikely place for a chartered bank to be issuing notes. The branch was capitalizing on the town's sudden growth after the arrival of the Northern Railway terminus in 1855, which transformed the harbour into a significant grain and lumber shipping point.
The three-dollar denomination was standard in mid-nineteenth century Canadian branch banking, designed to slot between the two and four dollar notes and reduce the need for silver in everyday transactions. Lawson Bank Note Company printed for several Ontario issuers during this period before the larger American security printers consolidated the Canadian market.