The following article appeared in the December 2006 issue of the Canadian Paper Money Society Newsletter. It is an original work of the author, Brent W.J. Mackie. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2004-2007 Brent W.J. Mackie.

A Peculiar Test Note

By: Brent W.J. Mackie

At the October 2006 Torex auction, auctioneer Michael Walsh had an interesting lot to start off his Bank of Canada Error Notes section:

These notes are believed to be production trial pieces that were designed to test at least two possible changes to Canadian banknote printing processes around the late-Multicoloured era (mid-1980s):

1. The first is called "Dry Intaglio" whereby the sheet is run through a lithographic press to apply all of the note's ink in one step, then it is sent though the intaglio press to create the raised printing, but the press is completely lacking of any ink and thus earning the name dry intaglio. (These notes however skipped the lithographic step).
2. The second change is the Birds Series style of serial numbers applied to the bottom of the back side of the note.

There are several peculiarities with respect to these notes:

1. Signatures are J.W.Crow / G.K.Bouey
2. ACM is a prefix used on R.W.Lawson / G.K.Bouey $1 notes
3. Signature style is that of the Birds series, and the barcode is the one specifically used by the Birds $2 notes.

There are 5 known notes of this type, with serial numbers ranging from ACM2188718 through ACM2189533. Three notes are in private collections, one is in a dealer's stock, and the fifth was sold in the Torex auction with a hammer price of CAD$1,900.00.

References:

Walsh, Michael. The Canadian Coinoisseur. Torex Auction Catalogue, October 27 and 28, 2006. Toronto.
http://wiki.cdnpapermoney.com/index.php/ACM_Production_Trial_Notes