About the note
The portrait of Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, was engraved by George Gundersen of the British American Bank Note Company. The source photograph is thought to be from the studio of Notman & Fraser, taken around 1880.
The back of the bank note carries an image of the Polymer Corporation plant in Sarnia, Ontario. A rare industrial subject for a Canadian note, it was chosen not only for its extraordinary detail but also for its historic value. The facility is a synthetic rubber plant whose enormous output during the Second World War was a major influence on the Allied victories of 1945. The original 1966 photograph was taken by George Hunter, the same man who photographed the source image for the vignette of the 5‑dollar note of this series. The engraving was supplied by the Thomas De la Rue Company in the United Kingdom.
At a glance
- Portrait: Sir John A. Macdonald
- Date of issue: November 8, 1971
- Last day of issue: June 26, 1989
- Signatures:
- Deputy Governors John R. Beattie, Gerald K. Bouey, Ruston W. Lawson, John W. Crow and Gordon G. Thiessen
- Governors Louis Rasminsky, Gerald K. Bouey and John W. Crow
- Dimensions: 15.2 cm x 7 cm
- Design: Thomas De La Rue Company Ltd.
- Printer: Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd.
- Status: legal tender
