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5 Dollars
| Issuer | Bank of Ottawa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1880 |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a central pastoral vignette of farmworkers engaged in field labour, flanked by two oval vignettes — a shepherdess with her flock at left and a seated female figure with a musical instrument at right. Large guilloche numerals '5' appear in the left and right fields, with the bank title 'BANK OF OTTAWA' in bold uppercase across the upper register beneath a decorative scroll, accompanied by the legend 'WILL PAY TO BEARER ON DEMAND'. The date '2nd Novr 1880' and place 'Ottawa' are inscribed in the upper corners, with the denomination 'FIVE DOLLARS' in bold letterpress along the lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE BANK OF OTTAWA WILL PAY TO BEARER ON DEMAND Ottawa 2nd Novr 1880 FIVE DOLLARS 5 CASHIER PRESIDENT |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Ottawa was a relatively minor chartered bank operating out of Canada's new federal capital, and this 1880 issue reflects the period when Canadian chartered banks were still producing notes through American engravers almost exclusively — the domestic industry simply couldn't compete with ABNC's die work and security printing capabilities. Geo. Burn served as the bank's General Manager and James Maclaren as President during this period, a signature combination that anchors the note firmly within the bank's early operational years.
The Bank of Ottawa was eventually absorbed by the Bank of Nova Scotia in 1919. Notes from its earliest decades are genuinely scarce in any condition.