First Series $500 Note
About the note
This was the only $500 note issued by the Bank of Canada. During this era, only high-value bank notes carried Canadian portraits. Rarely seen by the public, these notes were generally used by commercial banks to transfer money between them. The portrait of Sir John A. Macdonald was engraved by Will Ford of American Bank Note Company (ABN) after an 1883 photograph by William James Topley of Ottawa, Ontario.
The vignette on the back is an allegory, an image that represents a theme or virtue. The classical figure appears to be part of another harvest allegory, but it in fact represents fertility. The two themes are closely related: fertility is a crucial aspect of a successful harvest for both animals and crops. The image was engraved by Robert Savage after an illustration by Alonzo E. Foringer—both of ABN.
At a glance
- Portrait: Sir John A. Macdonald
- Date of issue: March 11, 1935
- Last day of issue: January 2, 1937
- Signatures:
- Deputy Governor John A. C. Osborne
- Governor Graham F. Towers
- Dimensions: 15.1 cm x 7.3 cm
- Design: American Bank Note Company Ltd., Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Printer: Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Status: not legal tender
