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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!

    Do you need it, or do you want it? That’s an important question to ask before buying anything. This activity is designed to teach kids how to prioritize their needs and wants, and how to make informed choices when shopping.

    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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New Acquisitions

By: Paul S. Berry


May 11, 2016

A U.S. half dollar counterstamped by Montréal merchant, L.C.Barbeau

Since money is handled daily by people across the country, it offers an opportunity to communicate directly with the public; not only messages of national importance, but also expressions of personal interest. On occasion, Canadians have used money as a signboard for political protest, a platform for social commentary and even as a handy notepad on which to record fleeting thoughts before they are lost. Authorities frown upon this practice because money so treated has to be replaced—leading to higher production costs.

Recently, the Collection acquired a rare example of one marked coin that speaks to the nature of currency in Montréal on the eve of Confederation. The coin is an American half-dollar of 1853—the highest denomination to bear the name of L.C. Barbeau and the only known example.

The 1853 U.S. half dollar counterstamped by L.C. Barbeau. Note that it’s bilingual.
(NCC 2015.23.2)

L. C. Barbeau was a dry goods merchant in Montréal. According to period directories, he operated a business on St. Paul Street from about 1852 to 1859, after which his name disappears from the city records. During this period, he advertised his business by having his name and profession impressed onto coins and tokens—a practice called counterstamping. The odd thing is that he advertised his services as a broker rather than as a dry goods merchant.

The different coins and tokens that bear Barbeau’s name testify to the diversity of money in circulation in Montréal during the 1850s. Known examples include English sixpence pieces of George III and William IV, a Bank of Montreal half-penny token from 1844, a U.S. hard times token from the late 1830s, Canadian 1 cent pieces from 1859 and two contemporary American silver coins: a quarter and half dollar. The latter two pieces indicate the prevalence of American money in circulation, a situation that was to assume monumental proportions by the late 1860s owing to American purchases in Canada during the Civil War.


Confectioner Findlay & McWilliam counterstamped this American 1 cent piece of 1846.
(NCC 1964.43.95)



Canada City Bank half-penny token of 1837 stamped by T. Costen, a Montréal gunsmith.
(NCC 1974.80.3)


Barbeau was not alone in counterstamping coins and tokens. Other 19th century Canadian businesses employed similar practices. Montréal firms known to have issued counterstamped pieces include Findlay & McWilliams (confectioners), T. Costen (gunsmith), Paquette & Cie (manufacturer), and Devins & Bolton (druggists). The most prolific producers of this sort of advertising, Devins & Bolton circulated large numbers of advertising pieces during the 1860s. More than 149 different types of coins and tokens bear their counterstamp.


One of the many Devins & Bolton counterstamped coins: a Norwegian 1 skilling from 1833.
(NCC 1966.160.124)



Notankers.ca is an organization raising awareness of the controversial transportation of crude oil through British Columbia and the Pacific.
(NCC 2009.7.1)


This sort of “guerrilla advertising” still exists today, often for promoting social change. The initiative to move crude oil to the Pacific coast in a pipeline has proven controversial. In 2009, citizens concerned about oil tankers and pipelines affixed black stickers to dollar coins creating the appearance of a loon covered in oil swimming on the surface of an oil slick.

Beginning in the late 1990s, private parties interested in the circulation of money created websites to track the movement of bills. Notes were overprinted with instructions to the note holder to go online and register where each note had been used.


You really can see where this bill has been at Canadian Money Tracker (if you could read the serial number).
(NCC 2004.118.1)



Although this note is most probably long out of circulation, interesting statistics may still exist for it on Canadian Money Tracker.
(NCC 2005.105.1)


There are very good reasons why you shouldn't deface or mutilate a bank note, even though it is not actually illegal. Defacement may interfere with the note's security features, reduce its lifespan or even make it unacceptable in a transaction. The Bank of Canada also feels that marking on or mutilating bank notes is simply an inappropriate act as they are a symbol of our country and source of pride.

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

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The Museum Blog

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
November 16, 2021

The 1911 silver dollar

By: David Bergeron


In front of a set of coins in a case, two coins, one lead, one silver, each with identical wreaths of maple leaves.
The 1911 silver dollar has a history to match its prestige, and it now has a permanent home in the National Currency Collection of the Bank of Canada Museum.
Content type(s): Blog posts

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