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5 Dollars
| Issuer | Bank of British North America, Montreal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884 |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company |
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| Obverse description | Blue and orange note with a central intaglio vignette of Queen Victoria in royal regalia, flanked by ornate guilloche medallions bearing the numeral '5' on each side. The upper border carries the bank title 'BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA' with the legend 'INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER' arched above the portrait, while the text 'Will pay the bearer on demand FIVE DOLLARS' appears in script to either side. Two manuscript signatures and a manuscript date of 1st May 1884 appear across the lower portion of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA FIVE 5 |
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| Comments |
The Bank of British North America occupied an unusual position in Canadian banking — it was chartered in London, operated branches across British North America, and answered to British shareholders even as it competed directly with Canadian-chartered banks on their home ground. By 1884 the Montreal head office was well established, but the bank's governance and much of its capital remained firmly transatlantic.
The American Bank Note Company contract for this series was standard practice among Canadian private issuers of the period. ABNC's New York plant produced the majority of chartered bank notes circulating in Canada through the 1880s, the Canadian Bank Note Company not yet having absorbed that market.
The Bank of British North America was ultimately acquired by the Bank of Montreal in 1918.