Catalog
5 Shillings
| Issuer | Bank of New Brunswick |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820-1829 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The obverse carries a central allegorical vignette of three classical female figures in a pastoral setting, flanked by the denomination inscriptions FIVE SHILLINGS at upper left and upper right. A standing female figure in a small side vignette occupies the left margin. The body of the note bears a manuscript-style promise to pay text in the name of the Bank of New Brunswick, with the place of issue ST. JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK and a handwritten date in the lower field, with a vertical panel reading Five Shillings along the right border. |
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| Obverse lettering | FIVE SHILLINGS Bank of New Brunswick Promise to pay out of the joint fund of the said Corporation to bearer on demand Five Shillings St. John, New Brunswick President Directors Cashier |
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The Bank of New Brunswick was chartered in 1820 and operated out of Fredericton, making it one of the earliest chartered banks in British North America. Colonial shilling-denominated notes from this period were a practical necessity — sterling silver circulated erratically, American dollars flooded across the border, and local merchants needed something more predictable for everyday transactions.
Pick 571 is among the rarer survivors of early New Brunswick paper. Cotton-rag stock from this period is notoriously susceptible to fold breaks at the central crease, and many examples that did circulate were effectively destroyed through ordinary use within a decade.