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Top 10 canadian most valuable banknotes sold at auctions in 2019

By Lightw4re | Monday, May 11, 2020

Because we did the Top 10 most valuable Canadian coins sold at auction in 2019, here's the top 10 most valuable certified banknotes sold at auctions in 2019.

#1 - $51,000 CAD - Dominion of Canada 1 dollar 1870 - Manitoba - G-6

Dominion of Canada 1 dollar 1870 - Manitoba

Sold on January 10, 2019, at FUN Auction, Heritage Auctions described this banknote certified by PMG as:

This Payable at Toronto variety features the vertically stamped overprint Manitoba to the right of the central vignette on the front. While this example is quite well circulated, the note remains fully intact. [...] this piece is the sole graded example in the PMG Census. [...] The Manitoba overprint makes it a distinctly special type for Canada, making it comparable to the DC-9c in terms of rarity. That note, also offered here today, realized nearly $25,000 USD just a few short years ago.

Dominion of Canada 1870 banknotes »


#2 - $49,300 CAD - Bank of Canada 20 dollars 1935 - Large Seal - GUNC-66

Bank of Canada 20 dollars 1935 - Large Seal

Serial number A026907, this banknote signed by Osborne-Towers and certified by PMG is one of only two GUNC-66 known for this variety. It sold at Torex auction on June 2019 by the Canadian Numismatic Company.

20 dollars 1935 price guide and values »


#3 - $44,700 CAD - Dominion of Canada 500 dollars 1911 - SP-64

Dominion of Canada 500 dollars 1911

Sold at the same time and same place as the #1 on this list, Heritage Auctions described this banknote certified by PCGS as:

Specimen printings for the early Dominion issues were printed in minuscule numbers with around the same number of surviving examples as the issued examples.

Only 3 circulation issue examples are known to collectors, the last of which sold in 2008 at Long Beach auction for $322,000 CAD. The 3 known are:

  • #000306 - VG
  • #010303 - G/VG - Sold at Torex in February 2005
  • #012735 - VF-20 PMG Restored - Sold at Long Beach by Heritage for $322,000

Dominion of Canada 500 dollars 1911 price guide and values »


#4 - $42,100 CAD - Dominion of Canada 1,000 dollars 1911 - SP-64

Dominion of Canada 1000 dollars 1911

This banknote was part of the Solovey Russian Collection. Certified by PMG, it also sold on January 10, 2019, at FUN Auction and by Heritage Auctions. Only 2 circulation 1,000 dollars 1911 banknotes are known, one in private hand and the other owned by the National Currency Collection:

  • #005307 - VG - Owned by the National Currency Collection
  • #006935 - VG

Heritage Auctions described this banknote as:

The note has four small POCs in the signature spaces, solid zero serial numbers, and is stamped SPECIMEN in red in the lower left corner. PMG notes that this example has been previously mounted although that evidence is faint and difficult to locate through the holder.

Dominion of Canada 1,000 dollars 1911 price guide and values »


#5 - $41,500 CAD - Dominion of Canada 2 dollars 1878 - St. John - VG-10

Dominion of Canada 2 dollars 1878 - St. John - VG-10

Only 6 circulation 2 dollars 1878 - St. John are currently known, 3 in private hands and 3 in institutional collections, all in low grades:

  • #001518B - PMG F-15 - Sold at Geoffrey Bell Auctions during the Toronto Coin Expo Spring sale in 2017 for more than $15,000.
  • #003966C - VG - From the Yuri Solovey Collection of Canada, it sold at Heritage Auctions in April 2008 as Good.
  • #009899A - F+ - Owned by the National Currency Collection
  • #010312B - VG-F - In Institutional collection
  • #011085A - CCCS/PMG VG-8/G-6 - Sold by The Canadian Numismatic Company in April 2013 for around $25,000. It was part of the Dauer Collection of Canadian Currency. There is an annotation (43) on the back of the banknote.
  • #011730D - VF - Owned by the National Currency Collection

Dominion of Canada 2 dollars 1878 banknotes »


#6 - $41,500 CAD - Dominion of Canada 500 dollars 1925 - SP-64

Dominion of Canada 500 dollars 1925 - SP-64

Noted as previously mounted by PMG, this banknote from the Yuri Solovey Collection of Canada sold on January 10, 2019, at FUN Auction, Heritage Auctions. Only 7 circulation 500 dollars 1925 are currently known, 6 in private hands and 1 owned by the National Currency Collection:

  • #A001359 - VF - Sold at Ed Knight Sale in September, 1963.
  • #A002530 - VF-EF
  • #A003987
  • #A008063 - EF - Sold at CNA Sale in 1966
  • #A008203 - VG - Sold at Bowers & Merena Sale in March, 1995
  • #A008317 - VF-EF - Owned by the National Currency Collection
  • #A011074 - In Coin World, on October 18, 1963
  • #A013504 - PMG AU-50 - Sold at RCNA Sale in 2010 for $205,000 excluding buyer's premium, fees and taxes.

Dominion of Canada 500 dollars 1925 price guide and values »


#7 - $38,400 CAD - Banque Ville-Marie 10 dollars 1873 - St. François du Lac - F-15

Banque Ville-Marie 10 dollars 1873 - St. François du Lac

This is the only one 1873 Banque Ville-Marie 10 dollars 1873 known with St. François du Lac overprint known.

It first sold uncertified on Ebay in September 2016. It sold by Geoffrey Bell Aucions at Toronto Coin Expo Fall Sale on October 4, 2019 and was certified PMG F-15.


#8 - $35,700 CAD - Bank of Canada 25 dollars 1935 - English - GUNC-66

Bank of Canada 25 dollars 1935 - English

This banknote was sold by The Canadian Numismatic Company at Torex Auction in February 2019.

This special royal purple $25 note was issued on May 6, 1935 to commemorate the silver jubilee of King George V. It was printed by CBN and features portraits of the King and Queen, engraved by Edwin Gunn and Will Ford of ABN. Louis Delmoce, also of ABN, engraved the image of Windsor Castle, one of the royal family's official residences, that appears on the back of the note. This was the only $25 note ever issued by the Bank of Canada.

Bank of Canada 25 dollars 1935 price guide and values »


#9 - $35,700 CAD - St. Stephens Bank 3 dollars 1886 - AU-58

St. Stephens Bank 3 dollars 1886

Finest known 3 dollars 1886 St. Stephens banknote among the only 5 known, including 1 owned by the National Currency Collection.

This PMG banknote was from the Harry M. Eisenhauer Collection.


#10 - $35,700 CAD - Dominion of Canada 2 dollars 1870 - Halifax - VF-20

Dominion of Canada 2 dollars 1870 - Halifax

Among the finest known, this PMG VF-20 banknote from the Harry M. Eisenhauer Collection is one of the only 16 2 dollars 1870 Halifax Dominion of Canada both in private hands and in institutional collections. It sold in April, 2019 in Chicago.

Only one other example, also certified by PMG is currently known. This variety was issued in Ottawa, the seat of government, and payable at Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Dominion of Canada 2 dollars 1870 price guide and values »


#11 - $35,700 CAD - Bank of New Brunswick 10 dollars 1903 - EF-40

Dominion of Canada 2 dollars 1870 - Halifax

By Heritage Auctions, this banknote sold in April, 2019 in Chicago. It was described as:

Featuring the second signature title, that of General Manager, this note is the single finest graded of only four examples currently graded in the PMG Population Report. The engravings are intricate and exacting.

Following serial, #A18612F, is also known to exist in private hands.


Honorable mentions

  • #12 - $35,100 - Bank of canada 20 dollars 1935 - Small Seal - PCGS CUNC-63 - #A113101
  • #13 - $35,100 - Province of Canada 1 dollar 1866 - St. John Overprint - PMG F-15 - #44762
  • #14 - $34,800 - Bank of Canada 25 dollars 1935 - PMG GUNC-65 - #A015815
  • #15 - $29,960 - Bank of Canada 1,000 dollars 1935 - PMG GUNC-66 - #A15847

Pictures by Geoffrey Bell Auctions, Heritage Auctions and The Canadian Numismatic Company.

Related numismatic tools, articles and links

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