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5 Dollars/Piastres
| Issuer | Union Bank, Montreal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1838 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Burton & Gurley |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black on white cotton paper and carries a central vignette of two allegorical figures flanking a shield, with the numeral 5 in ornate counters at left and right. At upper left, the date and place of issue read MONTREAL and LOWER CANADA, while the bilingual text body below states the promise to pay FIVE Dollars / CINQ Piastres on demand, rendered in both English and French. The vertical left border carries the word FIVE in large letterpress, and the vertical right border reads CINQ PIASTRES; two manuscript signatures appear at the lower portion, identified as the Cashier and President. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Intricate lathe-work guilloche |
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| Comments |
The Union Bank of Montreal was chartered in 1865 — which makes a note attributed to it in 1838 immediately suspicious. No Union Bank operating in Montreal in 1838 has been confirmed as a chartered institution; the reference may conflate this with another early Lower Canadian bank, or the catalog entry reflects a misattribution that has persisted across standard references. The dual denomination in dollars and piastres places it squarely in the transitional period when Lower Canada still used both currencies interchangeably before sterling was formally displaced.
Treat the issuer attribution with caution until primary charter records are consulted.