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5 Cents - Canadian Tire Coupon
| Issuer | Canadian Tire Corporation |
|---|---|
| Year | 1985 |
| 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 | 126 x 67 mm |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Red serial number at top centre above the Canadian Tire triangle logo, with denomination "5¢" in each corner. Vignette at left shows a stylised tire and coin character with face and legs in motion. Facsimile signatures of Treasurer and President appear at bottom. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | DEDICATED TO CANADIAN GROWTH CUSTOMER PROFIT SHARING BONUS BRITISH AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY LIMITED OTTAWA |
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| Comments |
Canadian Tire's coupon currency — colloquially called "Canadian Tire money" — was introduced in 1958 as a loyalty scheme tied to cash purchases at Canadian Tire gas stations. The coupons were deliberately designed to resemble legal tender, a decision that generated periodic complaints to the federal government but never legal action, as the notes carried no claim of being official currency.
BA International, the Ottawa-based security printer with roots going back to 1866, produced these using the same intaglio-adjacent processes applied to genuine banknotes. The resemblance was entirely intentional. By 1992, Canadian Tire money had become so culturally embedded that some merchants outside the chain began accepting it informally — an unofficial secondary circulation the company never actively discouraged.