How The 1967 Centennial $1 Banknote Was Distributed

In 1967, Canada issued a 1 dollar banknote to celebrate its centennial. It was a regular note with "1867-1967" replacing the serial number.

It is very commonplace as so many were saved as souvenirs. I got one as a child, like everyone else, but I lived in Ottawa and had no idea until recently how they were distributed to more distant, isolated regions of the country. This item came into my LCS recently; evidently the original owner had kept all the paperwork.

The purchaser lived in Bristol, Quebec, a small town about 90 km northwest of Ottawa, where the notes were made. It appears that the purchaser just paid $1 and the Bank of Canada absorbed the registration cost of $0.55.

The note was sent from Ottawa on November 6, 1967, and from the stamps on the back, it arrived in Shawville about 100 km northwest of Ottawa on November 7, and presumably then onto Bristol, a small village about 10 km southwest of Shawville. It came via Pembroke, Ontario. As Pembroke is about 150 km northwest of Ottawa, it doesn't seem like such a direct route, but I'm sure it all made sense based on how the regional postal distribution centres were set up at the time.

It is a bit of a marvel to note the labour and cost of sending this note out, but I am guessing that they were more interested in the promotional aspects than making any profit (it was obviously a loss). The centennial celebrations were quite a big deal here in 1967. It is also interesting to note that the mail moved quicker 58 years ago!