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5 Dollars
| Issuer | Bank of British Columbia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Green letterpress print dominated by large bold numerals «5» at left and right flanking «3004» across the centre, with intricate guilloche underprint throughout and the inscription «PAYABLE AT VICTORIA» at centre. |
| Reverse lettering | PAYABLE AT VICTORIA |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
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| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Bank of British Columbia was chartered in London in 1862 and operated as a British-controlled colonial bank throughout its existence — its head office was in London, with branches in Victoria and New Westminster serving the gold rush economy. By 1879 that rush was long spent, and the bank was operating in a considerably quieter province that had only joined Confederation eight years earlier.
Wm. Brown & Co. was a London-based security printer, and the colonial banking notes they produced for British Columbia institutions are among the scarcest North American 19th-century issues. The S-prefix Pick reference signals chartered bank status rather than a central or government issue — these notes circulated on the bank's own credit.
The Bank of British Columbia was absorbed by the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1901.