Money -> Paper Money: World -> Canada
Canadian paper money has an interesting history. If many of us were handed an example of the first Canadian paper currency, we wouldn’t recognize its significance. That’s because the first bills issued in Canada weren’t printed bills at all because paper was an expensive and somewhat scarce commodity. In 1685, Jacques de Meulles,the intendant of the French colony in North America, needed money to pay troops. He gathered playing cards, signed them, put his seal on them, and distributed them. He made this card money legal tender and required merchants to accept them. The rarity of these cards today make them highly valuable, so they’re generally only found in museums.
Canadian paper money issued in the 1800s is unique in that different bills were issued by different provinces. The Island of Saint John (later known as Prince Edward Island), Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Newfoundland, Canada and Alberta issued separate bills. All of these monies are rarely available to collectors, including British Army Bills that were issued between 1813 and 1818 as a an emergency because of The War of 1812. They’re all highly valuable and extremely rare, though occasionally Newfoundland bills and some Alberta bills from 1936 become available. Municipal notes, like those issued beginning in 1821 in Saint John, New Brunswick, are also very rare and hard to find.
Bank notes are the most readily available collectible Canadian paper money, though certain specimens are still very difficult to find. But bank issues are the best place for beginning collectors to start, and the best way to enhance an existing collection. Proof and specimen notes do show up in auctions occasionally, but they’re very rare and command high prices. Notes with the lowest serial numbers were usually kept as souvenirs by banking insiders, making them rare and valuable today.
Notes issued during 1837 and 1838 were often distributed by merchants who were sympathetic to the Patriots, because there was a limited amount of coins in circulation. These are great for Canadian paper money collectors, especially those interested in Canada’s history. They’re readily found in online auctions in varying conditions, and while some specific examples might be rare, even these usually spring up and become available at less cost than other rare types of notes.
While they never had monetary value and weren’t technically Canadian paper money, notes issued by business colleges in the late 19th century and early 20th century were used during training. And merchant advertising notes that also had no value, but are also an interesting part of Canadian history, are highly collectible today.
Old Canadian paper money can rarely be found in anything better than fine condition, with most of the older and more scarce bills usually in much worse shape. When looking at money to purchase, certainly the condition is important, but since so much of the older currency is in less than fine condition, a collector shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to purchase even a worn but older and possibly hard to find bill.
Originally posted 2008-10-12 14:00:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Colonial Money Coins and Paper Money -> Paper Money: US -> Colonial Currency If you are interested in collecting paper money, Colonial money is one of the hottest tickets going right now. When the first US colonies were formed, the nation and its currency system were still in their infancy. It was...... - Silver Bullion Coins Coins & Paper Money -> Bullion -> Silver People buy silver bullion coins for a few different reasons. Some buy them because of the precious metal content as an investment and buffer against inflation. Some people buy them because they fear that one day our popular currency will become worthless,......
- Military Coins Coins and Paper Money -> Coins US -> Coins - World Whether you were once in the military, or you are a collector all of things militaria, military coins are a great and valuable item to start amassing. There are many different kinds of military coins that are currently available......
- Canadian Coins Coins and Paper Money -> Coins: Canada -> Commemorative Whether you are from Canada, or just interested in collecting Canadian coins, there are plenty of options out there and many of these coins are actually quite valuable. Before you get started with your collection, it’s a good idea to know......
- World Coins Money -> Coins: World Collecting world coins is a rewarding and fascinating hobby. The first official coins were struck around the 6th century BC in Lydia, though metals used as a type of currency far pre-dates that, to Mesopotamia somewhere between 1500 and 2000 BC. Ancient coinage is fascinating, with......
Related Websites - Hm, I should check my inbox more often I finally logged in to my TreasuryDirect account in order to schedule a purchase, and discovered that I had a notification waiting for me there. It said, "Treasury is now offering marketable securities at a lower minimum. Treasury Bills, Notes, Bonds and TIPS can now be purchased in TreasuryDirect for......
- Guest Post - 15 Ways to Pay Less & Get More This is a guest post by David of Cartridge Save. He shares tips for getting more while paying less. Businesses and individuals alike have been impacted by the recession. The cost of living has skyrocketed and buying even the most basic of necessities has become a costly affair. It's not......
- Marriage and Money: Automating and Free Bill Pay This series was inspired by the recent marriage in our family. I organized some information with my brother in law and new sister in law in mind. If you find these tips to be useful, please share them. Congratulations on getting married. I hope you have a happy and long......
-
Keeping Your Teeth Clean and Your Wallet Full When I was a teenager, I rarely ever brushed my teeth and drank far too much soda. My mouth really never forgave me since then. It wasnât until high-school that it sank in my head that I needed to brush my teeth every day, and my parents ended up paying...... -
5 Ways to Save Money Without Even Trying The whole process of saving money is usually associated with pinching pennies until they scream for mercy, living on food from dented cans and basically giving up everything for a future goal. While this will indeed help you put more money away, saving does not need to mean hardship. We......
