Old Money from La Banque Nationale in Quebec City

La Banque Nationale operated with its headquarters in Quebec City from 1860 to 1925.  In 1925 it merged with La Banque d’Hochelaga to become La Banque Canadienne Nationale.  La Banque Nationale originally opened in 1860 with 1,456 shareholders.  By 1920 it had 230,000 customers and 40 million dollars in assets.  Our guide below is focused on its bank notes.  Please contact us if you have any questions.

Bank Notes from 1860:

We generally think of older bank notes as being scarcer than new notes.  However, that isn’t true when it comes to 1860 bank notes from La Banque Nationale.  The American Bank Note Company and The British American Bank Note Co. printed one, two, five, and ten dollar bills for La Banque Nationale.  These can be dated as 28 Avril 1860 or 25 Mai 1860.  Most of these bank notes have been punch cancelled.  Notes that aren’t cancelled command a premium.  All notes should be signed by F. Vezina.  Other signors include U.J. Tessier, E. Chnic, I. Thibaudeau, and Prudent Vallee.  Most notes will not have overprints; although a few could have red overprints for GG, A, or Ottawa.  Please contact us for more details.

Bank Notes from 1870 & 1871:

These notes could be dated as 28 Mai 1870, 28 Mai 1871, or 2 Octobre 1871.  Four, six, twenty, fifty, and one hundred dollar bills were issued by La Banque Nationale for this series.  There are varieties based on whether or not an overprint is present.  Overprints include Sherbrooke, Ottawa, MM, DD, and XX.  Uncancelled bank notes from time period are very rare.  However, cancelled notes are certainly still collectible.  Please contact us if you need pricing information.

Bank Notes from 1873:

This is an easy series date to keep up with.  Only five and ten dollar bills were printed.  The British American Bank Note Co. Montreal & Ottawa handled those duties.  Most of these notes are going to be punch cancelled.  All notes are dated as 2 Janvier 1873 and signed by Ol. Robitaille.  These are relatively scarce.  Most sell for around $1,500 (depending on their condition).

Bank Notes from 1883:

La Banque Nationale issued five and ten dollar bills dated as 1er Mars 1883.  Each note should be signed by I. Thibaudeau.  Isidor Thibaudeau is also shown on the right hand side of each note.  Samuel de Champlain and Jacques Cartier are shown the $5 and $10 bill respectively.  Most of these notes will have a red overprint of “AD” or “GG”.  Notes that are not cancelled are very rare.

Bank Notes from 1891:

Currency from 1891 is very similar to earlier 1883 and 1873 issues.  Only five and ten dollar bills were printed.  Most notes are punch cancelled.  These notes are signed by and have a portrait of A. Gaboury on them.  The exact date is Le 2 Janvier 1891.  Overprints include GG, LL, AD, and RR.  Overprints don’t really affect the value, but it is good to know about them.

Bank Notes from 1897:

We are starting to get into some more available La Banque Nationale bank notes.  Five and ten dollar bills from 1897 are dated as Le 2 Janvier 1897.  Unlike earlier bank notes, most 1897 bills are not cancelled.  Please send pictures of your note if you would like a free appraisal.  There are three varieties for each denomination.  Please contact us for details.

Bank Notes from 1922:

1922 marks the last year that La Banque Nationale issued bank notes.  These are actually rather scarce.  Five, ten, twenty, fifty, and one hundred dollar bills were released for circulation.  Each note is complete with a portrait of and the signature of Geo. E. Amyot.  Each note is also dated as Le 2 Novembre 1922.  Five dollar bills are occasionally available.  All other denominations are scarce to rare.

GOT SOMETHING TO SELL?

We buy all types of Canadian currency.  We are especially interested in bank notes from La Banque Nationale in Quebec City.  You might be surprised at how much money we can offer for some currency.  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 La Banque Nationale in Quebec City could look similar to the one seen below.  Don’t worry if yours is different; there are lots of other varieties out there.  Contact us for more value information.