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Both the French and British set up colonies in Canada, but in by 1763, the British had gained control over all of New France. Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec) were united as the Province of Canada on February 5, 1841, and the Dominion of Canada was established on July 1, 1867.

The French Colonial Franc (XFCL) and British Pound Sterling (GBP) were used in Canada during colonial times. The French Colonial Livre traded at a 20% premium from July 18, 1654 until October 7, 1661, at a 33.3% premium until March 2, 1662, and a 50% premium thereafter. The New France government often issued playing cards as money. The first French coins were minted in Canada in 1670 and continued to be issued until 1760. Nevertheless, French, English, Dutch, Spanish and US coins circulated through the nineteenth century. Private token, minted in Britain were used in Canada until 1858. Nova Scotia (1823), New Brunswick (1843), Prince Edward Island (1871) and Newfoundland (1840) issued coins and tokens of their own. The first coins issued for Canada were minted in 1858, although technically this was a provincial issue for Canada (Ontario and Quebec). The first coins issued for the Dominion of Canada were struck in 1870 and were similar to US coins.

Canada adopted the Dollar as its currency on January 1, 1858 setting the Canadian Dollar, divisible into 100 Cents, and equal to the United States Dollar. Canada allowed private banks it issue banknotes until 1935 when the Bank of Canada gained a monopoly over the right to issue banknotes. Until 1912, the Dominion of Canada issued all banknotes under $5 and private banks issued all banknotes of $5 or more, leading to the issue of $4 notes. Many of the banknotes issued by chartered banks prior to 1935 are still redeemable. Canada left the Gold Standard on October 19, 1931.

Here is a 25 cents note dated 1923. The note is black on brown underprint. The obverse features Britannia with trident in the center, and has the letter E.The reverse depicts a symetrical design with the denomination.

• Krause# Pick-P-11b
• Signatures: McCavour-Saunders

Reverse

Here is a 1954 dated 2 dollars note, but was released between 1961 and 1972 becuase of the signatures it carries. The note is black on red-brown underprint. The obverse features the Queen, and the national coat of arms in the underprint. The reverse depicts a spacious country landscape.

• Krause# Pick-P-76b
• Signatures: Beattie-Rasminsky

Reverse

This is a 1 dollar note dated 1973. The note is black on light green and multicolored underprint. The obverse features Queen Elizabeth II to the left and the national coat of arms to the right. The reverse depicts the parliament building on the back side of the river with a logging operation on the Ottawa river. The reverse of this note is engraved.

• Krause# Pick-P-85a
• Signatures: Lawson-Bouey

Reverse

Here is a 2 dollar note dated 1986. The note is brown on multicolor underprint. The obverse shows Queen Elizabeth II, the national coat of arms near the top center and the parliament building to the right of the Queens portrait. The reverse depicts a pair of robins and the serial number.

• Krause# Pick-94b
• Signatures: Thiessen-Crow

Reverse

This note is a local script designed to attract customers to the establishment with a discount offering of 5 cents. The note is in celebration of 75 years of business, 1922 to 1997.

• Krause# Pick-P-(None)

Reverse

This is a 2002 dated $5 note. The note is blue and tan-yellow. The obverse of the note shows Sir Wilfrid Laurier (who lived from 1841 to 1919, was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from July 11, 1896, to October 5, 1911) and the West block of the parliament building. The reverse shows some winter scenes of children skating, playing hockey and tobogganing. This note does have a Holographic strip to the left. The P-101 listed in the book lists with the signatures of Knight and Dodge and dated 2002. The note shown here has a different signature combo and is dated 2002, so must be a new signature variety not listed in Krause.

• Krause# Pick-101
• Signatures: Jenkins-Dodge

Reverse

• Krause# Pick-P-

Reverse