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4 Dollars = 1 Pound
| Issuer | Commercial Bank of New Brunswick, St. John |
|---|---|
| Year | 1860 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1841-1867) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse presents a horizontal format in black letterpress and intaglio on white paper, with large numeral '4' corner counters at left and right and a '£1' sterling equivalence notation at upper left. A central oval vignette encloses a landscape or architectural scene surrounded by fine guilloche lathe-work, flanked by the bank's name 'THE COMMERCIAL BANK OF NEW BRUNSWICK' in bold serif capitals across the midfield. The promise text 'Will pay FOUR DOLLARS to the Bearer' is inscribed below, with 'St. John N.B.' and a manuscript date, along with two manuscript signatures at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Variants | P#S1716a - Issued note P#S1716p - Face proof |
| Comments |
The four-dollar denomination was a direct product of the dual-currency reality in pre-Confederation New Brunswick, where both Halifax currency (pounds, shillings, pence) and U.S. dollars circulated simultaneously. The $4 = £1 parity was not arbitrary — it reflected the established exchange rate between Halifax currency and the American dollar, and printing both on the face was a practical commercial necessity for a port town with heavy cross-border trade.
The Commercial Bank of New Brunswick was chartered in 1834 and remained one of the smaller Saint John institutions. It did not survive Confederation-era consolidation, absorbed into the broader Canadian banking reorganization of the 1860s and 1870s.
ABNC's New York production for Maritime colonial banks in this period typically used shared plate elements across multiple clients — worth noting when authenticating any example.