Catalog
50 Piastres/Dollars
| Issuer | Gore Bank of Hamilton |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Piastres/Dollars |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is arranged in a classical bilingual format, with two allegorical female figures standing atop globes at the left and right margins flanking a central portrait of a distinguished gentleman set between bold numeral '50' counters, above which a crowned royal vignette appears. The bank title 'Gore Bank of Hamilton' runs in bold script across the middle register, accompanied by a manuscript-style promise-to-pay text and a letterpress 'FIFTY' legend. Bilingual denomination inscriptions 'Cinquante Piastres' and 'Fifty Dollars' are carried along the upper border. |
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| Obverse lettering | Cinquante Piastres / Fifty Dollars Gore Bank of Hamilton Will pay on demand FIFTY dollars to or Bearer at their Office Hamilton No. Hamilton Cash. Pros. |
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| Comments |
The Gore Bank of Hamilton received its provincial charter in 1835 and operated until its absorption into the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1870. Its notes circulated primarily across the western Ontario region, denominated in the dual piastres/dollars format that was standard in Upper Canada before Confederation rationalized the currency system in favour of the decimal dollar alone.
Hamilton's position as a commercial hub rivalling Toronto during the railway boom years of the 1850s gave Gore Bank notes genuine regional velocity. Whether this particular denomination saw heavy counter use or was primarily held as a store of value is difficult to establish — higher-denomination chartered bank notes frequently spent more time in merchant drawers than in daily trade.