5 Dollars / 1 Pound 10 Pence

The dual denomination — 5 Dollars on one face, 1 Pound 10 Pence on the reverse — reflects a transitional moment in Canadian commerce when sterling equivalencies still appeared on some bank-issued notes to facilitate trade with Britain and the Caribbean. The Royal Bank had substantial operations in the West Indies, and notes denominated this way circulated in markets where sterling remained the practical unit of account.

American Bank Note Company's Ottawa plant handled the printing, one of the earlier major runs from that facility after it opened to serve Canadian chartered banks domestically rather than routing work through New York.