The bank with the quintessential metropolitan-sounding name began life to service rural areas outside of Toronto which were in need of banking opportunities. Slow-starting, the Bank of Toronto opened its doors to the public in 1856 and is still in operation today as the Toronto-Dominion Bank after amalgamating with the Dominion Bank in 1955. Geoffrey Bell Auctions Ltd.’s Toronto Coin Expo 2018 Spring Salefeatures a rare opportunity to acquire a pair of Bank of Toronto discovery notes.
The bank was only two decades old, but growing rapidly, when they issued a four-dollar note in 1876. These are normally only available to collectors with town overprints, as the only known example without an overprint resided in an institutional collection until the discovery of this note. Catalogued in Charlton as 715-18-02 this piece is an attractive aVG with edge nicks and crayon on the back and it represents a potentially spectacular addition to a serious collection.
It’s always a special thrill to hold an example in your hand of a note listed as “no known issued notes” and this is precisely the case with our next offering. When this unique five-dollar note was printed in 1911, the bank’s stately head office at the corner of King and Bay streets was still two years off. These artistically ornate and desirable notes, the “yellow issues,” are popular with collectors and this example will attract some serious parties. PCGS graded as F15, this only known example of CH 715-22-08 is conservatively estimated to achieve $20,000 to $30,000 in Toronto.
The Toronto Coin Expo 2018 Spring Sale takes place May 3rd and 4th live at the Toronto Reference Library and online via our iCollector auction site.