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    Collage, man at an easel, paintings of birds and a goose illustration with comments written on it.

    Between tradition and technology

    What was proposed was a complete about-face from the philosophy behind recent security printing. If photocopiers could easily deal with the colours and designs of the current series, then the next series should be bold and simple.

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    Needs or wants? That is the question!

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    Teaching the green economy

    From windmills and solar panels to electric cars, signs of the green economy are all around us. Check out our resources for how to teach about the green economy.

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Unpacking the Collection 1

By: David Bergeron


July 21, 2015

Vignettes for a $1,000 bank note that never was

The 1969 Scenes of Canada bank note series was the first Bank of Canada series not to include a $1,000 bill. In the mid 60s, high denomination notes were in such low circulation that Governor Louis Rasminsky and the Minister of Finance discussed the possibility of actually dropping the denomination altogether. They elected instead to just continue circulating the 1954 notes, but not before two models (design mock-ups) had already been proposed for the back of a new $1,000 note. They were both produced by the U.K. printing firm of De La Rue who were responsible for all the face and back models of the ’69 series.

$1,000 bill face

This is the last 1954 $1,000 bill. It was issued in 1992, only months before the Bird Series $1,000 note replaced it. All $1,000 notes were withdrawn in 2000. (NCC1992,11,21,a1)

$1,000 bill back

The back vignette is of the village of L’Anse-Saint-Jean, Quebec. On the Saguenay River fjord, it is 3.5 hours north of Québec City. (NCC 1992,11,21,b1)

The first model was in keeping with the series theme of introducing human progress into Canadian vistas. Its vignette was of a stretch of highway through the Laurentian Mountains near Val-Morin, Quebec. Judging by the cars on the road, the photo appeared to have been taken in the 1950s. But during the process of preparing the original image to become an engraving, the cars were removed. Vehicles (boats) were prominently featured on 4 other denominations in the series, so this removal is a mystery. For the production of the models for this bill, De La Rue placed the highway vignette inside the border art from the $20 bill, the first note of this series to be issued.

Bank note with mountain road

Though meant for the back of the $1,000 note, De La Rue prepared this model using the framing artwork of the $20 note. (NCC 1993,57,16)

The second model produced by De La Rue represented a significant departure from the rest of the series in that it didn’t show a dramatic vista but featured people. There were people on the backs of other denominations (notably the $2) but in a purely circumstantial way—as features of a greater scene. The image proposed by De La Rue this time was of the dancers of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet performing a scene from Swan Lake. A highly detailed engraving by master engraver George Gundersen of the British American Bank Note Company, the ballet vignette would have been the first time that recognizable human faces appeared on the back of a Bank of Canada note. But it was not to be, and no known model exists for the face of this note.

Engraving of ballet dancers

The company of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as featured in another test engraving. Again, the $20 is used as a framework model. (NCC 2000,22,1)

Later, the ballet vignette was proposed for the $50 note and Gundersen suggested a colour change to a bright red as the slate grey that was originally chosen made the engraving somewhat lifeless. However, prompted by the 1973 RCMP Centennial, it was decided to instead choose an image of the Musical Ride for the back of the $50 bill. Sadly, the ballet image was never issued.

The $1,000 bill would return in 1992 with a pair of pine grosbeaks on the back. There would be no more $1,000 notes issued after 2000.

$50 bill back with RCMP

The RCMP Musical Ride replaced the ballet in the $50 bill design and became one of Canada’s most popular and memorable bank notes. (NCC 1975,70,1)

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Content type(s): Blog posts

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May 5, 2022

Between tradition and technology

By: Graham Iddon


Collage, man at an easel, paintings of birds and a goose illustration with comments written on it.
What was proposed was a complete about-face from the philosophy behind recent security printing. If photocopiers could easily deal with the colours and designs of the current series, then the next series should be bold and simple.
Content type(s): Blog posts
April 21, 2022

Teaching the green economy

By: Adam Young


From windmills and solar panels to electric cars, signs of the green economy are all around us. Check out our resources for how to teach about the green economy.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Business and careers, Economy, Geography, Science, Social studies Grade level(s): Grade 07 / Secondary 1, Grade 08 / Secondary 2, Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
April 4, 2022

Talk to your kids about money

By: Heather Montgomery


Collage, ceramic pig on background of a bank book and a stamp folder with kids on it.
Introduce important financial skills to your children, and help them plan for their futures with free resources from the Bank of Canada Museum and others.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Financial literacy Grade level(s): Early childhood / Kindergarten, Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03, Grade 04, Grade 05, Grade 06, Grade 07 / Secondary 1, Grade 08 / Secondary 2, Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
March 3, 2022

Teaching inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic

By: Heather Montgomery


COVID-19 has had an unprecedented effect on the economy: closing businesses, driving down demand and interrupting supplies. With news stories and popular culture addressing inflation and supply chain issues, now is the perfect time to explain this key economic concept to your high school students.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Economy Grade level(s): Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
February 3, 2022

Queen of the bank notes

By: Graham Iddon


Few of us have ever met her, and it’s likely none of us are even remotely related to her. Yet, Canadians have carried her picture in their wallets for generations now. She’s Queen Elizabeth II and has been our monarch for over 70 years.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): History
December 22, 2021

New acquisitions–2021 edition

By: David Bergeron


The Bank of Canada Museum is responsible for the National Currency Collection, and part of its mandate is to foster and develop that collection. Despite the challenges of collecting during a pandemic, curators at the Bank of Canada Museum have acquired some unique artifacts—including some that document the pandemic itself.
Content type(s): Blog posts
December 2, 2021

The true value of money

By: Graham Iddon


Photo collage, old bank notes and coins, gold nuggets and a computer component.
What is money—when you really stop to think about it? To understand how money works, and what it ultimately represents, we need to strip it down to its very basic function.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Economy Grade level(s): Grade 07 / Secondary 1, Grade 08 / Secondary 2, Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP

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