Knowing your Bank notes
Suppose you walk into a bar frequented by currency collectors and in an attempt to join in you refer to a ‘planchette’ as a ‘rosette’ (beer mugs hit the tables and the pianist stops playing). This could be pretty humiliating and you’ll probably never be able to go to that bar again, at least not on numismatic night. To save you this possible embarrassment and also to further your education as a budding collector of currency, we’d like to help you familiarize yourself with the major elements of Canadian bank notes.
We want to hear from you! Do you have an idea for a blog post you’d like to see?
Content type(s):
Blog posts
The Museum Blog
September 22, 2026
The Money of Bytown
By: David Bergeron
Bytown was a frontier town built on the construction of the Rideau Canal and a booming lumber industry. Access to different forms of money and banking facilities provided the liquidity necessary for the town to prosper into Canada’s capital.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
September 18, 2026
Teaching with the Vertical $20
Engage students with creative activities linking the new bank note to careers, civics, history, social studies and art.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
Subject(s):
Arts,
Careers,
Financial literacy,
History,
Indigenous studies
Grade level(s):
Grade 04,
Grade 05,
Grade 06,
Grade 07 / Secondary 1,
Grade 08 / Secondary 2,
Grade 09 / Secondary 3,
Grade 10 / Secondary 4
July 20, 2026
A summer road trip of Canadian tokens
By: Graham Iddon
We took a virtual road trip through nearly every Canadian province and territory via trade and souvenir tokens.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
June 22, 2026
Reminiscences of the 1976 Montréal Olympic Coin Program
By: David Bergeron
The Olympic Coin Program was novel, ambitious, record-breaking and for some, life-changing—much like the Olympic Games that the program helped finance.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
May 26, 2026
The changing face of women on bank notes
By: Krista Broeckx
From queens to changemakers, discover how real women are finding their place on bank notes around the world.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
