British Columbia dollar
The dollar was the currency of British Columbia between 1865 and 1871. It replaced the British pound at a rate of 1 pound = 4.866 dollars and was equivalent to the Canadian dollar, which replaced it. The dollar was subdivided into 100 cents. No distinct coins were issued, with Canadian coins circulating.
The dollar was adopted as the currency of the then separated Colony of Vancouver Island in 1863. It therefore became the currency of the united colony formed in 1866.
Banknotes
Although the dollar was only adopted as the official currency of the colony in 1865, both Treasury and chartered bank notes were introduced in 1862, denominated in dollars. The Treasury notes were in denominations of 5, 10 and 25 dollars, whilst the banknotes, issued by the Bank of British Columbia, were in denominations of 1, 5, 20, 50 and 100 dollars.
References
- Pick, Albert (1990). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Specialized Issues. Colin R. Bruce II and Neil Shafer (editors) (6th ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-149-8.