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5 Dollars / 1 Pound 10 Pence Royal Bank of Canada; large size
| Issuer | The Royal Bank of Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1938 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio print on green guilloche underprint. Central vignette of a steam ocean liner underway at sea, framed by an arched border with ornate scrollwork. Denomination expressed in both dollars and sterling equivalent appears at upper corners and right margin; date and place of issue at lower left. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Uniface green intaglio print. The full British Royal coat of arms occupies the centre, supported by a crowned lion and a unicorn, with the Garter motto ribbon below and the royal motto on a lower scroll. Denomination panels in sterling equivalent flank the arms at left and right within a fine guilloche border frame. |
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| Comments |
The Royal Bank of Canada's 1938 series was among the last private chartered bank issues before the Bank of Canada's monopoly on note circulation effectively pushed commercial bank notes out of everyday use. The chartered banks retained the legal right to issue, but the economics made it pointless — Bank of Canada notes had displaced them in practice by the early 1940s, and redemption pressures accelerated the series' retirement.
The dual denomination — 5 Dollars and 1 Pound 10 Pence — reflects the lingering sterling-denominated trade relationships with the British Caribbean, where Royal Bank branches operated extensively. By 1938, this was largely a legacy convention rather than a practical necessity.