1870 La Banque Nationale $6 Note

A six-dollar bill, and it's real! This seemingly crazy denomination was issued to circumvent a clause in the Bank Act preventing banks under its jurisdiction from issuing $1 and $2 notes, which became the preserve of the Dominion Department of Finance. (Equipped with $4, $5 and $6 notes, as well as $10, $20 and higher denominations, the bank could pay out almost any integral dollar amount of $4 and up without using any $1 or $2 Dominion notes. In fact, there is only a single exception ­ do the math if you are so disposed.) La Banque Nationale is an antecedent of the present bank of the same name.

This note was issued by, and redeemable at, the Ottawa branch. It is signed by Prudent Vallee, and is of the "small tint" variety (on some of the bank's $6's the green tint covers a much larger area of the note face).

The back is plain. It is punch cancelled "PAID", as are the great majority of this bank's surviving notes prior to the 1897 issue.

Contributor: RJG

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