The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Government Paper Money

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

This catalogue covers three centuries of notes issued by various levels of government, beginning in 1685 when the Intendant of New France wrote pledges of payment on the back of playing cards, and encompassing early army bills, colonial and provincial notes, early municipal issues, the popular Dominion notes, and the current (since 1935) Bank of Canada issues.

To put the book in context, one should observe that until 1943, private banks issued their own currency, and that these non-government issues are excluded from this catalogue.

Collectors and dealers will turn to the book to find out, for example, whether their 25-cent “Shinplaster,” dated 1932 and bearing the signatures of G.E. Campbell and W.C. Clark, is worth anything (answer: $3.00 in good condition; $100.00 in uncirculated condition). Specialists will also consult the book to discover many previously unpublished listings, most of them illustrated, and to obtain technical information about quantities of notes issued and government numbering schemes. In many instances, changeover numbers for the major varieties, which have been the subject of much speculation, are authoritatively presented from bank note records.

The book’s author, Robert J. Graham of Pembroke, Ontario, has also put considerable energy into placing each issue within its historical context. For example, if one examines the current multi-coloured $10.00 bill, one will notice that it is issued by the Bank of Canada and is bilingual; on its front there is an indication that the note is legal tender and at the left, a picture of Sir John A. Macdonald; on its back is a picture of an oil refinery. All of this we take for granted — and yet this book explains when and why each of these and other features became added to this denomination. In 1935, the Bank of Canada first began issuing notes, some in French, others in English. Included in this issue, for the first time in Canadian history, was the $10.00 bill.

In its second issue, dated 1937, the notes first became bilingual, with newly crowned King George VI on the $10.00 issue; his picture, like the others in the series, was in the middle of the bill. In 1954, with another new sovereign, the bank issued its third series, but this time the Queen’s portrait, which appeared on all denominations, was placed on the left, where it was less susceptible to wear and tear.

The current, multi-colour series, a successful anti-counterfeiting device, was issued in stages between 1969 and 1975, and in this issue, the traditional “will pay to the bearer on demand” was replaced by “this note is legal tender”; as well, the sovereign’s face gave way, not for the first time, to the portraits of a number of Canadian Prime Ministers, and the Rocky Mountain Peak that had appeared on the preceding $10.00 was replaced by the picture of an oil refinery.

This book, then, is more than just a catalogue for specialists; it is also a history that should appeal to all those interested in the money which passes through their hands. Unfortunately, because of its title, the book will probably be bought primarily by specialists.