1935 Series (banknotes)

The 1935 Series was the first series of banknotes of the Canadian dollar issued by the Bank of Canada. They were first circulated on 11 March 1935, the same day that the Bank of Canada officially started operating. Two sets of banknotes were printed for each denomination, one in French for Quebec, and one in English for the rest of Canada. This is the only series issued by the Bank of Canada with dual unilingual banknotes.

The Bank of Canada issued a press release in February 1935 announcing details of the banknotes to "prevent possible confusion" amongst the public and as a protective measure against counterfeiting. The Bank of Canada Act which had established the Bank of Canada also resulted in the repeal of the Finance Act and the Dominion Notes Act. With the introduction of the 1935 Series into circulation, the Dominion of Canada banknotes were withdrawn from circulation by the Bank of Canada from 1935 to 1950, which also replaced the Department of Finance as the nation's exclusive issuer of banknotes.

The Government of Canada intended to release the banknotes on the same day as the official opening of the Bank of Canada. It required months of work and preparation for the design, approval, and production of the banknote series. Designs for the banknotes were created by the Canadian Bank Note Company (CBN) and the British American Bank Note Company (BABN, now BA International), both of which had designed and printed the preceding Dominion of Canada banknotes.

All but the commemorative $25 banknote began circulating on 11 March 1935, the same day that the Bank of Canada officially started operating. All banknotes contained the words "Ottawa, Issue of 1935" centrally at the top of the obverse, except for the $20 banknote, in which the words appeared below the serial number. This is the only Bank of Canada series that includes $25 and $500 banknotes, and the only series that includes the official seal of the Bank of Canada. The $500 banknote was a "carry-over from Dominion of Canada bank notes", and is the only Bank of Canada banknote series to include this denomination.

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