(530 kb)
(530 kb)
The Canadian dollar came into being less than 150 years ago. French and Spanish silver coins circulated in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries, but because they were in short supply, playing cards were cut to various sizes and signed by the Governor to serve as legal tender. Following the Conquest of Canada by Great Britain in 1759-60, and for about a hundred years following, British pounds, shillings and pence were Canada's official currency.
Dollar bank notes were first issued by the Bank of Montreal in 1817 and included a $4 denomination, the official value of the pound. But sundry types of currency still circulated, including Nova Scotia provincial money, American dollars and gold coins, Spanish dollars and even British paper army money used to buy supplies during the War of 1812.
British money was rejected in the 1840s, and on January 1, 1858, the Canadian
dollar became the official monetary unit of the Province of Canada.