Collection search - British American Bank Note Company fonds [multiple media]

Record information – Brief
1
British American Bank Note Company fonds [multiple media]

Hierarchical level:

Fonds

Date:

[1867]-1997.

Reference:

R5369-0-2-E

Type of material:

Stamps and stamp products, Textual material, Art, Photographs, Maps and cartographic material

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

179000

Context of this record:

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British American Bank Note Company fonds
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Record information – Details

Fonds includes:

3 lower level description(s)
View lower level description(s)

Date(s):

[1867]-1997.

Place of creation:

Canada

Added country of publication:

United States, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Trinidad and Tobago, Switzerland

Extent:

4.5 cm of textual records.
Ca. 4200 postage stamps and other philatelic records.
7 volumes of philatelic records.
10 prints.
3 albums of graphic materials : prints.
1 map.
7 photographs.
3 volumes of picture postcards
1 painting.
1 drawing.

Language of material:

English

Added language of material:

English, French, Danish

Scope and content:

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Fonds consists of items printed by the British American Bank Note Company, its predecessors, and competitors, documentation on its activities, and philatelic memorabilia. Philatelic material in the collection includes Canadian Postage stamps -- mint singles, multiples, and proof material, as well as revenue stamps printed by the BABN. Engraving samples printed by other countries, including France and Great Britain, are also represented.

The fonds also consists of personal files and items of Kenneth Sargent during his tenure as Director and President of the BABN. Items consist mostly of philatelic records and printed materials from various postal administrations and bank note companies.

Provenance:

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British American Bank Note Company

Biography/Administrative history:

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British American Bank Note Company : The British American Bank Note Company (BABN) was founded in 1866, in Montréal. It specialized in security printing for government and private industry. Over its history, the company printed stamps, bank notes, passports, securities, bank stationery, lottery tickets, as well as other printed matter. The British American Bank Note Company also designed many of the products it printed. As well, it was involved in the research and development of methods to guard against counterfeiting.

The company was formed from two groups of printers, one headed by George Bull Burland and the other by W.C. Smillie. The British American Bank Note Company later absorbed two smaller printers, the Dominion Bank Note Company and the Canada Bank Note Company.

Notable early postage stamps printed by BABN include: the Queen's Head issues of 1868-1897 (the first issue of stamps for the new Dominion of Canada), the King George V Arch and Maple Leaf issues (1930-1931), the Quebec Citadel and Mt. Edith Cavell, Rocky Mountains, B.C. issues, the Imperial Economic Conference issue (July 1932), the Universal Postal Union commemorative (1933), the Royal William issue, and the Jacques Cartier Quadricentenary commemorative (1934). British American Bank Note Company was also the first company to print postage due stamps bilingually (1933), print the first registered stamps (1875), the first postal cards (1871), and the first Canadian printer of postage stamps for Newfoundland (1880).

Its initial plant was located on Wellington St., Ottawa. In 1871, it moved its head office to Montréal, and then, in 1889, back to Wellington St., Ottawa. Plant operations moved to the new head office, located on Gladstone Ave., Ottawa, in 1948.

In 1984, the BABN became a wholly owned subsidiary of BCE Inc. As part of the sale of BCE PubliTech in 1988, the business was transferred to Quebecor Printing Inc. It was subsequently known as the BA Banknote Division of Quebecor Printing Inc. In 1999, BA Banknote was acquired by Munich-based German banknote printer Giesecke & Devrient.

Additional information:

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Philatelic note:

Besides the postage stamps and postage stamp proofs, the philatelic records also include hundreds of revenue and excise stamps in various formats, 18 aerogrammes, 17 postal covers, 16 sheets of labels, 17 labels, 9 blocks of labels, 7 strips of labels, 3 pairs of labels, 2 panes of labels, 4 blocks of postage stamps and 1 pane (no design on it). The above extent does not take in account the volumes of philatelic records.

Philatelic issue data:

Canada and other postal administrations : various denominations.

Varying form of title:

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BABN fonds

Source:

Private

Related control no.:

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1989-565 VSA
1998-00566-6
1999-00215-6
2000-01292-2
POE 97-324 (1988-04-01)
POE 97-555 (1997-10-27)
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Conditions of access:

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Philatelic records

[Consultation90 Open]

Textual records

[Consultation90 Open]

Graphic (art)

[Consultation90 Open]

Graphic (photo)

[Consultation90 Open]

Cartographic material

[Consultation90 Open]

Terms of use:

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Copyright (textual) : Copyright varies.
Copyright (philately) : Copyright varies.
Copyright (art) : Copyright varies.
Copyright (photograph) : Unknown.
Copyright (map) : expired.
Credit Library and Archives Canada.

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