1935 Canadian banknote series

File:Bank of Canada one dollar note, 1935.jpg

The $1 banknote of the 1935 Series features a portrait of George V.

The 1935 Canadian banknote series is the first series of banknotes of the Canadian dollar issued by the Bank of Canada. They were first circulated on 11 March 1935, the same day that the Bank of Canada officially started operating. Two sets of banknotes were printed for each denomination, one in French for Quebec, and one in English for the rest of Canada.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn This is the only series issued by the Bank of Canada with dual unilingual banknotes.Template:Sfn This series was followed by the 1937 Canadian banknote series.

The Bank of Canada issued a press release in February 1935 announcing details of the banknotes to "prevent possible confusion" amongst the public and as a protective measure against counterfeiting.Template:Sfn The Bank of Canada Act which had established the Bank of Canada also resulted in the repeal of the Finance Act and the Dominion Notes Act.Template:Sfn With the introduction of the 1935 Series into circulation, the Dominion of Canada banknotes were withdrawn from circulation by the Bank of Canada from 1935 to 1950,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn which also replaced the Department of Finance as the nation's exclusive issuer of banknotes.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Banknotes

The Government of Canada intended to release the banknotes on the same day as the official opening of the Bank of Canada.Template:Sfn It required months of work and preparation for the design, approval, and production of the banknote series.Template:Sfn Designs for the banknotes were created by the Canadian Bank Note Company (CBN) and the British American Bank Note Company (BABN, now BA International), both of which had designed and printed the preceding Dominion of Canada banknotes.Template:Sfn

All but the commemorative $25 banknote began circulating on 11 March 1935, the same day that the Bank of Canada officially started operating.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn All banknotes contained the words "Ottawa, Issue of 1935" centrally at the top of the obverse, except for the $20 banknote, in which the words appeared below the serial number.Template:Sfn This is the only Bank of Canada series that includes $25 and $500 banknotes,Template:Sfn and the only series that includes the official seal of the Bank of Canada.Template:Sfn The $500 banknote was a "carry-over from Dominion of Canada bank notes", and is the only Bank of Canada banknote series to include this denomination.Template:Sfn

Other than the language in which they were printed, the English and French banknotes were the same.Template:Sfn In May 1935, deputy governor of the Bank of Canada John Osborne wrote a letter to a colleague in England in which he stated that "the English-speaking population is inclined to mutilate the French notes, and the French population complains they cannot get enough of their own notes".Template:Sfn

All banknotes in the series measure , slightly shorter and wider than the 1914, 1918, 1928, and 1934 Federal Reserve Notes in circulation in the United States at the time, and were described by The Ottawa Evening Citizen as a "novelty to Canada".Template:Sfn They were printed on a material consisting of 75% linen and 25% cotton manufactured by the Howard Smith Paper Mills (now Domtar).Template:Sfn

Denomination	Face image (English)	Face image (French)	Back image (English)	Back image (French)	Colour	Face	Back	Printed	Issued
$1Template:Sfn	File:Obverse of $1 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Obverse of $1 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:Reverse of $1 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Reverse of $1 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Green	George V	Agriculture allegory	1935	11 March 1935
$2Template:Sfn	File:Obverse of $2 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Obverse of $2 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:Reverse of $2 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Reverse of $2 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Blue	Queen Mary	Transportation allegory	1935	11 March 1935
$5Template:Sfn	File:Obverse of $5 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Obverse of $5 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:Reverse of $5 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Reverse of $5 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Orange	Edward, Prince of Wales	Electric power allegory	1935	11 March 1935
$10Template:Sfn	File:Obverse of $10 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Obverse of $10 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:Reverse of $10 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Reverse of $10 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Dark purple	Princess Mary	Harvest allegory	1935	11 March 1935
$20Template:Sfn	File:Obverse of $20 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Obverse of $20 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:Reverse of $20 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Reverse of $20 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Rose	Princess Elizabeth	Testing the grain allegory	1935	11 March 1935
$25Template:Sfn	File:1935 Series Bank of Canada $25 commemorative banknote, obverse.jpg	File:Obverse of commemorative $25 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:1935 Series Bank of Canada $25 commemorative banknote, reverse.jpg	File:Reverse of commemorative $25 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Royal purple	King George V and Queen Mary	Windsor Castle	1935	6 May 1935
$50Template:Sfn	File:Obverse of $50 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Obverse of $50 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:Reverse of $50 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Reverse of $50 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Reddish brown	Prince Albert, Duke of York	Modern Inventions allegory	1935	11 March 1935
$100Template:Sfn	File:Obverse of $100 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Obverse of $100 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:Reverse of $100 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Reverse of $100 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Dark brown	Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester	Commerce and industry allegory	1935	11 March 1935
$500Template:Sfn	File:Obverse of $500 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Obverse of $500 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:Reverse of $500 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Reverse of $500 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Sepia	John A. Macdonald	Fertility allegory	1935	11 March 1935
$1,000Template:Sfn	File:Obverse of $1000 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Obverse of $1000 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	File:Reverse of $1000 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, English version.jpg	File:Reverse of $1000 banknote, Canada 1935 Series, French version.jpg	Olive	Wilfrid Laurier	Security allegory	1935	11 March 1935

The banknotes were printed in greater variation of colour than the Dominion of Canada banknotes that had been previously issued.Template:Sfn These were green for the $1 banknote,Template:Sfn blue for the $2 banknote,Template:Sfn orange for the $5 banknote,Template:Sfn dark purple for the $10 banknote,Template:Sfn rose for the $20 banknote,Template:Sfn reddish brown for the $50 banknote,Template:Sfn dark brown for the $100 banknote,Template:Sfn sepia for the $500 banknote,Template:Sfn and olive for the $1,000 banknote.Template:Sfn In April 1935, an article in The St. Maurice Valley Chronicle of Trois-Rivières stated that the appearance of the obverse of the $1 and $2 banknotes were too similar, particularly the green hue of the $1 banknote and the blue hue of the $2 banknote.Template:Sfn It stated that the colours of the reverse were more distinct, but could be "confused in artificial light".Template:Sfn The same article stated that the similarity between the English and French versions of the banknotes was a positive feature.Template:Sfn For the 1937 Series banknotes, the Bank of Canada would change the colour of the $2 banknote to terracotta red to address the issue.Template:Sfn

The design of the banknotes was in a similar formal baroque style of the earlier Dominion of Canada banknotes, with wide variation between the denominations in the series.Template:Sfn The central numerals on the obverse of each denomination have a distinct background design, each with a portrait to the left.Template:Sfn The corner numerals and decoration are also different for each banknote denomination.Template:Sfn

Portraits

The royal portraits used for the engravings were based on older photographs of each member of the royal family, who were said to "appear younger than their years on the new notes".Template:Sfn Depicted on the $1 banknote was George V.Template:Sfn The portrait and design was approved by Edgar Nelson Rhodes on 10 May 1934. Template:Sfn

Queen Mary appeared on the $2 banknote,Template:Sfn her portrait based on a photograph by Hay Wrighton that was engraved by Will Ford of the American Bank Note Company (ABN) and master engraver Harry P. Dawson of the BABN.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The portrait of Edward, Prince of Wales wearing a colonel's uniform on the $5 banknote was based on a Department of External Affairs photograph taken by British photographer Vandyke and engraved by Dawson.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn On the $10 banknote was a portrait of Princess Mary based on a photograph by official British Royal Family photographer Richard Speaight and engraved by Dawson.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Princess Elizabeth at the age of 8 appears on the $20 banknote, the portrait based on a Marcus Adams photograph from 1934 for which an engraving was created by master engraver Edwin Gunn of ABN.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn The portrait of Prince Albert, Duke of York wearing an admiral's uniform on the $50 banknote was based on a photograph taken by Bertram Park, for which an engraving was made by Robert Savage of ABN.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn It was subsequently used on six of the banknotes of the 1937 Series.Template:Sfn The $100 banknote includes a portrait of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester wearing the captain's uniform of the 10th Royal Hussars based on a photograph by Vandyke for which Ford created an engraving.Template:Sfn

The portrait of John A. Macdonald wearing a fur-collared coat and engraved by Ford is on the $500 banknote (and was also used on the $100 banknote of the 1937 Series banknotes), and a Gunn engraving of Wilfrid Laurier wearing a Prince Albert coat is the portrait on the $1000 banknote.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Allegories

Each denomination had a reverse depicting an allegorical figure, the framing of which was different for each denomination.Template:Sfn Agriculture was depicted on the $1 banknoteTemplate:Sfn based on a painting by Alonzo Foringer of ABN, based on an engraving made by Will Jung.Template:Sfn A transportation allegory featuring the Roman mythological figure Mercury created by BABNC artists was on the $2 banknote,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn electric power generation engraved by Dawson on the $5 banknote,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn and of harvest engraved by Dawson on the $10 banknote.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The $20 bank note, also based on a painting by Alonzo Foringer of ABN, shows two allegorical figures representing toil.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn An allegory of modern inventions is on the $50 banknote,Template:Sfn and commerce and industry is on the $100 banknote.Template:Sfn The fertility allegory on the $500 banknote was based on another painting by Foringer.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The allegorical figure of security on the $1,000 banknote was previously used on a 1917 issue of Russian bonds.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Commemorative $25 banknote

On 6 May 1935, the Bank of Canada issued a $25 banknote to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the accession of George V to the throne.Template:Sfn It was a royal purple banknote with the portraits of King George V and Queen Mary on the obverse engraved by Ford and Gunn, and a scene depicting Windsor Castle on the reverse engraved by Louis Delmoce of ABN.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn It was the first commemorative banknote issued by the Bank of Canada.Template:Sfn

Printing

All printings of each denomination of the banknote series were signed by Graham Towers, the Governor of the Bank of Canada, and J.A.C. Osborne, the deputy governor.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Serial numbers were not used for 1935 series banknotes. The red numbers found on the notes consist of one series prefix letter, followed by a seven-digit sheet number. English banknotes used series prefix letter A, and French banknotes used series prefix letter F. For English $1 notes only, once all prefix letter A sheet numbers had been used, a second series was started using prefix letter B.

Four notes were printed on a sheet of paper, and each of the four notes on the sheet were stamped with the same red sheet number. Below the sheet numbers is a single black "check letter" (A, B, C, or D), indicating the note's position on the sheet.

The Canadian Bank Note Company printed the $1, $20, $50, $100, $500, and $1,000 banknotes, and the commemorative $25 banknote.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn The British American Bank Note Company printed the $2, $5, and $10 banknotes.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Collecting

As of 2009, for a banknote graded as "very fine" a collector could expect to pay about Template:Currency for the commemorative $25 banknote, Template:Currency for the $50 banknote, Template:Currency for the $20 banknote, Template:Currency for the $10 banknote, and Template:Currency for the $1 banknote.Template:Sfn

Fewer notes of this series were printed in French than in English. For example, there were approximately 1,000,000 $20 English notes printed, compared to approximately 200,000 French notes.