5 Dollars = 1 Pound-5 Shillings

Perkins, Bacon & Petch were the dominant security printers of the early Victorian period, and their North American colonial commissions were among the most technically sophisticated notes in circulation anywhere in the world at the time. The dual denomination — five dollars and one pound five shillings — reflects the monetary chaos of pre-Confederation Canada, where American dollars, British sterling, and local currencies all competed simultaneously in daily commerce.

The Bank of British North America was chartered in London in 1836, which is why printing remained in England long after comparable colonial institutions had moved production closer to home. Notes of this 1841 issue are rarely encountered; the bank's eastern Canadian branches handled most circulation, and attrition was severe.