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5 Dollars / 1 Pound 10 Pence
| Issuer | Royal Bank of Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1938 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Dark purple and green note with a central vignette of an ocean liner underway at sea, surrounded by an ornate guilloche border. The bank title THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA runs across the top in bold lettering, with the place of issue AT ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA noted above the vignette and the date January 3rd 1938 at lower left. Denomination panels reading FIVE ANTIGUA DOLLARS THE EQUIVALENT OF £1-0-10 appear at right, with matching panels at upper left and right corners, and two red serial numbers flanking the vignette. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | FIVE ANTIGUA DOLLARS THE EQUIVALENT OF £1-0-10 THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA DIEU ET MON DROIT CANADIAN BANK NOTE COMPANY LIMITED |
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| Comments |
The Royal Bank of Canada operated branches across the Caribbean throughout the first half of the twentieth century, and this dual-denomination note — denominated simultaneously in dollars and pounds sterling — was struck specifically for use in territories where both currencies held practical daily relevance. The twin valuation was a commercial necessity, not an affectation: British colonial subjects conducting transactions in Eastern Caribbean markets needed a note that crossed monetary systems without requiring mental arithmetic at the counter.
The Canadian Bank Note Company printed the series in Ottawa, a firm that by the late 1930s held an overwhelming share of Canadian chartered bank contract work. Pick S117 is among the last private Canadian chartered bank issues before wartime pressures and regulatory consolidation steadily ended that era of commercial note issue.