Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Dollars
| Issuer | Bank of British North America, Ottawa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1865-1872 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1858-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The obverse is engraved in a finely detailed intaglio style with the bank title 'The Bank of British North America' in an arched banner across the upper centre, flanked by the word 'OTTAWA' repeated on both sides. The Royal Arms vignette occupies the central upper area, accompanied by the legend 'Incorporated by Royal Charter.' To the lower left, a classical female figure personifying Britannia is seated beside a lion and a shield, while to the lower right a second allegorical seated female figure is rendered in a similar academic style. The denomination '5' appears in large numeral guilloche panels at the upper corners, and the promise to pay text reads 'This Bank will pay the Bearer on demand FIVE DOLLARS at OTTAWA' with a manuscript date. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | OTTAWA The Bank of British North America INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER This Bank will pay the Bearer on demand FIVE DOLLARS at OTTAWA Acct |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Bank of British North America was a London-chartered institution operating across the pre-Confederation and early post-Confederation colonies, and its Ottawa branch notes occupy an unusual place in Canadian monetary history — issued across a window that straddles 1867, meaning some of these notes circulated under colonial status and others under the new Dominion framework, with no change to the paper itself.
The American Bank Note Company in New York handled production for numerous Canadian issuers during this period, a practical arrangement given the relative scarcity of high-security printing infrastructure north of the border at the time.
ABNC's contract work for British colonial banks frequently reused engraved elements across different clients, worth bearing in mind when assessing plate originality.