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5 Dollars
| Issuer | Bank of British North America, Brantford |
|---|---|
| Year | 1871 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Dollars |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is engraved in black on white paper and carries the bank's royal arms vignette at centre top, flanked by the numeral '5' on both sides within ornate lathe-work cartouches, with 'BRANTFORD' inscribed on either side of the bank title. To the lower left is a classical allegorical vignette of Britannia seated with a lion and a ship, and to the lower right a seated female figure representing Commerce or Prosperity with an anchor. A central panel in script lettering states the promise to pay, with the date '29th November 1871' and place of issue 'at BRANTFORD' inscribed below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BRANTFORD The Bank of British North America INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER This Bank will pay the Bearer on demand FIVE DOLLARS at BRANTFORD, 29th November 1871 |
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| Comments |
The Bank of British North America was a London-chartered institution operating across the British colonies and, later, the Dominion of Canada — its head office never left London, which created persistent friction with Canadian banking regulators throughout the latter half of the 19th century. The Brantford branch designation on this note reflects the bank's practice of issuing locally-denominated obligations through individual branches rather than centrally, making branch-specific survivors considerably harder to locate than the main Montreal or Toronto issues.
The British American Bank Note Company had only recently been founded in Ottawa when this note was printed — established in 1866, it was still consolidating its position against the dominant American Bank Note Company during this period.