1925 Dominion Bank $50 Question

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

I recently picked up a 1925 Dominion Bank $50 signed Austin and noticed some sections of the note did not completely resemble my other one. I am mostly looking for some clarification or cause of this.

The detail that first caught my eye was the apparent offset on the right side livestock vignette. This can easily be seen when looking at the pig or white horse. The second is the reduced intensity of blue tint that surrounds the note.

I was also able to find each image on the heritage site which illustrates these differences in higher detail. Your input will be greatly appreciated.

Type 1 with offset vignette and minimal blue tint

Type 2 with detailed vignette and intense blue tint

Type 1 zommed in

Type 2 zoomed in

While I am certainly no expert on chartered notes and I have no knowledge of this being a known variety, I do have some general opinions.

The apparent offset in the vignette is minor, but I would suggest that it is instead "out of register" printing. Even in modern notes, there are multiple layers of printing, or passes through the press. The first pass is often a background tint and may be further subdivided into separate passes for each colour. The second pass is often the intaglio or engraved printing. The final passes include items such as typed signatures, serial numbers, seals, etc. To create a perfect note, all of these layers must line up exactly. What I expect is the case with your note is that the intaglio layer and the tint layer(s) do not align properly and this is most evident in the vignette area. Minor, but unfortunately noticable.

The difference in colour of the blue tint may also be "normal," just like the tint differences in the 1954 series was "normal." You can get some $5 notes that have a rich, vibrant blue tint, and others that look washed out and pale. Again, a minor variation in my opinion.

If anyone has any better explanations, I am happy to step aside. Until then, that's the best I can come up with.
[edit]Corrected a typo. --B[/edit]

I concur fully with BWJM's explanation. There is a definite downward shift (of about 1 mm) of the central beige background tint on the first note.

Regarding the variation in the blue colour, I think this can be explained by the different degrees of handling and the different storage environments of the two notes over the last 80 or so years (observe that the paper on the second note is considerably whiter and brighter than on the first note). As noted by BWJM, even modern notes in the same high grade can have significant variations in colour intensity and overall freshness.

Two impressive high-denomination notes all the same, and hopefully they have never been washed or pressed!

Ottawa's post mentioning storage reminded me of an important and relevant observation. As another example of colour variations, it has been documented that the 1974 $2s exhibited easy fading and colour change when left in the sun for an extended period. This demonstrates that even in relatively modern times, sometimes you get an unstable ink. The same could certainly have happened some 50 years earlier with the blue in question.