2021 MCGILL COLLEGE NOVELTY NOTE

The Apprentis Numismates, a French-Canadian numismatic organization founded in 2001, has unveiled the fifth issue of its Symboles du Québec commemorative banknote series.

The group's officials, including founder Claude Bernard and long-time member François Rufiange, who joined in 2005, commemorated Québec's oldest university, McGill, on the new novelty issue. Only 200 notes, including five uncut press sheets with three notes each, were available to collectors beginning on May 1.

He and Bernard drew inspiration from the Montréal Bank's 1821 single-sided $1 bill, a rare chartered note. It should be noted that during this period, before Confederation, financial instruments were mainly written in English, added Rufiange, the president of the Société Numismatique de Québec. This is a characteristic that we wanted to keep.

Founded in 1821 as the University of McGill College through a bequest from Scottish merchant James McGill – a founding member of Montréal's Beaver Club – the school is marking its 200th anniversary this year.

Like the series' first four issues, the print run of McGill University notes corresponds to the anniversary, so 200 notes were printed.

Serial numbers range from 0001 to 0200, including the radar note 0110. Among these 200 notes, five uncut sheets are also available. Each of the sheets includes three sequential notes, ranging from 0186" to 0200.

Some elements of the original 1821 Montréal Bank note have also been modified on the novelty bill, which measures 75 millimetres by 175 millimetres. The numeral 200, the words DEUX CENTS and TWO HUNDRED plus the phrase SYMBOLES DU QUEBEC are also added to the left and right sides.

A period painting of McGill University replaces the original note's naval scene featuring Britannia as the top-centre vignette. At the bottom centre, the original note's ONE denomination – combined with a one-piastre coin, equivalent to a Spanish eight-real coin from Charles IV's reign – has been replaced by 200. The two zeroes in 200 are replaced by a contemporary Bank of Montréal token and an 1821 British shilling with the effigy of George IV.

To read the complete article, see:
‘Symboles du Québec' novelty note series continues with McGill issue (https://canadiancoinnews.com/symboles-du-quebec-novelty-note-series-continues-with-mcgill-issue/)

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