Banknote Billet Canada 1 Elisabeth II, Reine d'Angleterre et du Commonwealth 1954

Remarks:

Plis

The 1954 Canadian one-dollar banknote belongs to the series commemorating the accession of Elizabeth II to the throne of the Commonwealth. This issue is known under the designation of the Y/M series, a reference to the numbering prefixes used to identify the various variants of this issue.

This banknote was issued by the Bank of Canada in 1954, as part of a national monetary reform aimed at incorporating the portrait of the new sovereign. The obverse of the banknote features an official portrait of Elizabeth II, Queen of England and the Commonwealth, engraved with great precision, in accordance with the artistic standards of the time. This portrait was created from an official photograph of the Queen, which brought it a certain notoriety, particularly due to a controversy surrounding the appearance of the portrait, in which some observers believed they could discern a figure within the sovereign's hair. This distinctive feature led the Bank of Canada to carry out a correction of the portrait, thus distinguishing the first-issue banknotes, known as the «Devil's Face», from the subsequently modified versions.

The Y/M series refers to a precise classification within the 1954 issue, allowing collectors and experts to identify and distinguish the various printings and variants of this banknote. The face value of the banknote is one Canadian dollar, the official monetary unit of Canada.

This banknote constitutes an important historical and numismatic record, illustrating both Canadian monetary history and the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth II. Its relative rarity and its belonging to a clearly identified series make it a reference object in the field of Canadian numismatics of the 20th century.