Old Money from The Bank of British North America

The Bank of British North America was essentially an English run bank operating out of Canada.  The bank opened in 1836 in Montreal.  During World War I it became extremely difficult for the English owners to effectively manage its interests in Canada.  In 1918 The Bank of British North America (with 92 branches) was purchased by The Bank of Montreal.  Our guide has much more information about the bank’s paper money issues.

Bank Notes from 1836 – 1877:

Simply put, The Bank of British North America just had too many bank note issues from 1836 to 1877 to list in our short guide.  Furthermore, good pictures of most bank notes are not readily available.  Generally speaking, the least a bank note from this time period would be worth is about $500.  Authentic notes in VF or better condition could easily sell for thousands of dollars.  All the notes that exist today are true miracles of survival.  Many notes have interesting layouts and designs.  If you have a bank note issued by The Bank of British North America, then please send us a picture of it.  We would be happy to tell you what it is worth.  We just don’t have the space to list all the varieties right here; however, we are certainly interested in buying these bank notes.

1884 $5 Bills:

Currency from The Bank of British North America really first becomes collectible with the 1884 series.  These notes are by no means common, but they do have more modern designs and they were issued in higher quantities than most earlier bank notes.  These are dated as May 1st 1884.  Each five dollar bill has a portrait of Queen Victoria.  The engraved location can be Montreal or Victoria.  Victoria notes are scarcer.  All of these notes were printed by Perkins, Bacon & Co. London.  C. Deacon and W. Collier signed these notes.  You can see how the colors and design would make this note popular with collectors.

1886 $5 Bills:

Five dollar bills from May 28th 1886 can be from either Montreal or Victoria.  Montreal notes have blue serial numbers and Victoria notes have red serial numbers.  Notes from Victoria are rarer.  Each variety has a portrait of the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria.  Montreal notes are the most common bank notes issued by The Bank of British North America.  Please contact us if you need help pricing your note.

1889 $10 Bills:

Ten dollar bills from 3rd July 1889 are slightly rarer if they do not have the engraved signature of H. Stikeman.  These bank notes were printed by either The British American Bank Note Co. Ottawa or The British American Bank Note Co. Montreal.  As you can see, once again Queen Victoria is on the front of each note.

Bank Notes from 1911:

The Bank of British North America issued five, ten, twenty, fifty, and one hundred dollar bills dated as July 3rd 1911.  All $20, $50, and $100 bills are extremely rare.  Very few exist as issued bank notes with serial numbers and signatures.  They, respectively, feature portraits of Edward VII, Queen Alexandra, and Queen Victoria.  Five and ten dollar bills come in two different varieties based on whether they were signed by Stikeman or Mackenzie.  The Stikeman signature is more desirable.  Five dollar bills have a portrait of George V and Queen Mary is on the $10 bill.  These two lower denominations are available, but scarce in high grades.

GOT SOMETHING TO SELL?

We buy all types of Canadian currency.  We are especially interested in bank notes from The Bank of British North America.  You might be surprised at how much money we can offer for some currency.  Nice looks bank notes often sell for thousands of dollars.  Send us an email with pictures of the front and back of your bank note and we will respond quickly with our offer.

Manning@CanadaCurrency.com

Sample Bank Note Image:

Your piece of currency from The Bank of British North America could look similar to the one seen below.  There are dozens of different denominations and design types, so don’t worry if your bank note is different.  Contact us for more value information.