Catalog
5 Dollars / 1 Pound 10 Pence
| Issuer | Royal Bank of Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company, Ottawa, Canada |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio print on green guilloche underprint. A central vignette occupies the majority of the note, presenting a large passenger steamship under way at sea, rendered in fine engraved detail. Denomination numerals and the sterling equivalent appear in each upper corner, with the issuer title in bold letterpress across the top, place and date inscriptions in script at lower left, and the denomination in script at lower right; the printer's imprint appears at the bottom margin. |
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| Obverse lettering | THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA WILL PAY TO BEARER ON DEMAND AT BRIDGETOWN BARBADOS THE SUM OF FIVE DOLLARS IN BARBADOS CURRENCY BEING THE EQUIVALENT OF ONE POUND AND TEN PENCE REDEEMABLE ONLY IN BARBADOS Bridgetown Barbados January 2nd, 1920 Five Barbados Dollars the equivalent of £1-0-10 FIVE GENERAL MANAGER PRESIDENT AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, OTTAWA |
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| Comments |
The dual denomination — 5 Dollars on one face, 1 Pound 10 Pence on the reverse — reflects a transitional moment in Canadian commerce when sterling equivalencies still appeared on some bank-issued notes to facilitate trade with Britain and the Caribbean. The Royal Bank had substantial operations in the West Indies, and notes denominated this way circulated in markets where sterling remained the practical unit of account.
American Bank Note Company's Ottawa plant handled the printing, one of the earlier major runs from that facility after it opened to serve Canadian chartered banks domestically rather than routing work through New York.