Last updated on August 26th, 2025 at 10:29 am
Last Updated on August 26, 2025 Posted by Colonial Acres Coins
It is said that the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on banknotes in every continent except Antarctica. Canada was the very first country to feature the Queen on its bills, featuring her portrait throughout her life and reign several times on Canadian paper money. Read on to learn about the times when Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait adorned paper money in Canada, which include:
- The 1935 Series
- The 1954 Canadian Landscape Series
- The 1967 Commemorative Note
- The 1969-1979 Scenes Of Canada Series
- The 198
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6 Birds of Canada Series
- The 2001-2006 Canadian Journey Series
- The 2011-2013 Frontiers Series
- The 2015 Commemorative Note
The 1935 Series
Canadian bank notes first saw Her Majesty’s appearance long before she acceded to the throne. A $20 note with a portrait of an eight-year-old Princess Elizabeth, granddaughter of then King George V, was part of the Bank’s inaugural series issued in 1935. It is the only portrait of the future queen as a young girl to appear on a bank note.
The 1954 Canadian Landscape Series
The Canadian Landscape Series sees the source photograph for the Queen’s portrait on the $20 note in the same 1951 picture by Yousuf Karsh, that was also used in the large window as a 2015 Commemorative Note. The likeness of Her Majesty was featured on every denomination of the 1954 Canadian Landscape Series.
The 1967 Commemorative Note
A variant of the $1 note from the Canadian Landscape series of 1954 was issued in 1967 to honour the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. The 1967 note featured the centennial symbol and the words “Centennial of Canadian Confederation” in French and English on the borders. Some notes had the years “1867 1967” in place of serial numbers in order to appeal to collectors.
The 1969-1979 Scenes Of Canada Series
The Scenes of Canada series to this day remains one of the most colourful Canadian bank note series. Featuring an image of the Queen, the $20 note was first issued in 1970. Another version was produced with the serial numbers on the back in 1979, as well as with slight modifications to the colours and the motif at the centre top to further differentiate it from the $1 note.
The 1986 Birds Of Canada Series
One way in which the Birds of Canada series broke from earlier Canadian design tradition was by featuring larger portraits on the front of the notes. This was one of the features, along with the use of distinct colours and oversized numbe
rs, that improved the note legibility and recognition for the partially sighted.
The 2001-2006 Canadian Journey Series
Featuring the Queen on the front, the Canadian Journey $20 note won “Banknote of the Year” for 2005 from the International Bank Note Society, which described the image as “probably the finest portrait of the mature monarch to appear on any bank note.” The engraving of the Queen for this note was prepared by Jorge Peral from a photograph by Charles Green, commissioned specifically for this note.
The 2011-2013 Frontiers Series
The original $20 note in the Frontiers series sees a metallic portrait of the Queen appearing in a large window. This holographic image is one of the cutting-edge security features that make this series particularly difficult to counterfeit. The engraving for the printed portrait on this note was created by Jorge Peral, Vice-President of Design and Master Engraver at the Canadian Bank Note Company.
The 2015 Commemorative Note
The 2015 Commemorative Note features a full-colour metallic portrait of the queen in a large window, which is the first and only time she is shown wearing any type of crown on a Canadian bank note. It is accompanied by a depiction of her Royal Cypher, a garland of maple leaves and the inscription “A Historic Reign – Un regne historique.”
Interested In More Canadian Notes That Featured Queen Elizabeth II? Get In Touch With Colonial
Colonial Acres Coins is home to a team of numismatics experts who don’t mind sharing their vast knowledge and professional advice with beginner and seasoned collectors. Whether you’re interested in Canadian paper money that features Queen Elizabeth II or other valuable coins and banknotes from the world over, Colonial Acres is the place you want to be. Waste no more time and go down to Colonial Acres today in order to enrich your collection with some rare and interesting banknotes or coin pieces.
