About the note
Canadian artist Charles F. Comfort created the initial design approach of this bank note series, and the Canadian Bank Note Company (CBN) produced the final design with assistance from the American Bank Note Company (ABN). The face of every note carries a portrait of the young Queen Elizabeth II engraved by George Gundersen of the British American Bank Note Company after a photograph by Yousuf Karsh. However, some people saw a shape in the curls behind the Queen’s ear that resembled the face of the Devil. CBN engraver Yves Baril modified the engraving, and from 1956 onward, no more “Devil’s Head” bank notes were issued.
The vignette on the back of the note is a view of the Laurentian Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth. As part of the Canadian Shield, the Laurentian foothills extend east into Ontario. The photograph was sourced from the Provincial Publicity Bureau of Quebec and engraved by Will Ford of ABN. It is the only winter image in the series and one of three Quebec landscapes.
At a glance
- Portrait: Queen Elizabeth II
- Date of issue: September 9, 1954 (modified: June 1956)
- Last day of issue: June 21, 1970
- Signatures:
- Deputy Governors James E. Coyne and John R. Beattie
- Governors Graham F. Towers, James E. Coyne and Louis Rasminsky
- Dimensions: 15.2 cm x 7 cm
- Design: Charles F. Comfort, Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Printer: Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Status: legal tender
