Canadian Banknote Co. Test Note

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

I just recently picked up this beauty. Anyone have any idea as to how common this note is?

It looks like a prototype produced by CBN for the Bank of Canada (BoC's logo in silver on the upper right.) Alexander Graham Bell is the portrait.

So what's the story? I've never heard of this this. Can you post a photo of the back?

you can see the note here

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Banknote-Specimen-Test-Banknote-Canadian-Bank-Note-Company-C-Bell-intaglio-/201386801991?nma=true&si=A32SM77V4ZVi%252FOvoxXx54A9%252F%252FqQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


and another variety

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPECIMEN-TEST-NOTE-20-25-100-CANADIAN-DOLLAR-PRINTER-CBN-IN-OTTAWA-UNC-/261966947533?nma=true&si=A32SM77V4ZVi%252FOvoxXx54A9%252F%252FqQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Unfortunately I don't have a story to accompany the note as per Friedsquids link it was purchased from a German seller on Ebay. Here is the back which is blank except for the security planchettes.

It looks like a prototype produced by CBN for the Bank of Canada (BoC's logo in silver on the upper right.) Alexander Graham Bell is the portrait.

It's actually very similar to the birds gold foil with predominant blue, purple, and green depending how it's tilted.

It would be interesting to see what the Bank of Canada would have to say about this, considering its trademarked logo appears on the note. That would indicate that the BoC had some involvement in its production or use.

I have 7 Bell test notes attributed in The Catalog of Printers' Test Notes - 10th Edition.  I believe I have added two more since then.  There are different colors and different security features in the top right of these notes.  One has no feature at all and has a reverse which is not blank I show front of note here.  By the way other CBNC test notes (all more rare than the Bell notes) include two with Queen Victoria (one dated 1890) and one value 20 with a girl's bust and holographic strip designed by 3D AG.

Here's the front of the note.

The second note you list here on auction at Ebay was printed by Goebel.  From The Catalog of Printers' Test Notes -
"Established in 1851, Goebel is one of Europe’s manufacturers of web-fed printing machines for the printing and converting industry, including one pass intaglio and offset printing."

you can see the note here

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Banknote-Specimen-Test-Banknote-Canadian-Bank-Note-Company-C-Bell-intaglio-/201386801991?nma=true&si=A32SM77V4ZVi%252FOvoxXx54A9%252F%252FqQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


and another variety

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPECIMEN-TEST-NOTE-20-25-100-CANADIAN-DOLLAR-PRINTER-CBN-IN-OTTAWA-UNC-/261966947533?nma=true&si=A32SM77V4ZVi%252FOvoxXx54A9%252F%252FqQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Here's the reverse of the test note.

If anyone is interested, there are five Canadian firms which have issued test notes.
BA Banknote Group (As of 1999 a subsidiary of Giesecke & Devrient. Acquired by Canadian Banknote Company in 2013)
British American Bank Note Company ( It acquired the Canada Banknote Company in 1891)
Canadian Bank Note Company
Domtar
Silba International (Patent expired on Duranote & is now defunct)

Here a pdf of all known printer related firms producing test notes, a sample note, & the number of known test notes from my web page on test notes.
http://currency_den.tripod.com/testnotes/ptnl.pdf

Very interesting web site, but the Canada Bank Note Co. item is misattributed.  There was no connection between Canada Bank Note Co. and Canadian Bank Note Co., they were entirely different firms.  Canada B.N. ceased to exist 30 or more years before CBN was spun off from ABN.

If anyone is interested, there are five Canadian firms which have issued test notes.
BA Banknote Group (As of 1999 a subsidiary of Giesecke & Devrient. Acquired by Canadian Banknote Company in 2013)

It is public knowledge that CBN acquired the building that was owned by BABN in 2013. Is that what you mean or do you have some other information that says that whole company was bought over as opposed to only the building and perhaps some printing equipment?

Public disclosure indicates that Bank of Canada is using BAI (which is what BABN has been known as) for its single note inspection contract through to 2018. If your information about BAI being bought by CBN is indeed correct then would that mean that CBN has now taken over the single note inspection contract?

Thanks so much for vetting these firms out.  I will add the Canada Bank Note Company as a separate entity in the 11th Edition, due for release in the spring of '16.