Canada — Issue of 1937

The 1937 issue is Canada’s first bilingual banknote series, with English and French text on the same note. The 1 to 50 dollars carry the portrait of George VI, the 100 dollars John A. Macdonald, and the 1,000 Wilfrid Laurier.

The notes are dated 2 January 1937 and entered circulation on 19 July, the 1,000 dollars only in 1952, as the banks had enough 1935 notes. The colours were chosen so that the denominations could be told apart even in dim light: the 2 dollars became terracotta and the 5 blue, a scheme that Canada kept for decades. The signatures of the deputy governor and governor of the Bank of Canada come in three pairs: Osborne and Towers, Gordon and Towers, Coyne and Towers.