The Canadian Dollar: Flax Free Since 1983


July 17, 2008 by Preet 2 Comments

Since 1983, Canadian bank notes (dollar bills) have been printed on 100% cotton paper.  However, when the first bank notes were printed back in 1935 they were composed of 25% cotton and 75% flax. The composition was reversed to 75% cotton and 25% flax during the Second World War to conserve flax for the production of linen used in military uniforms. It wasn’t until 1983 that the composition was changed to be 100% cotton which was brought about by Quebec environmental laws concerning the use of flax.

1935 also marked the only year that the Bank of Canada issued $25 bills and $500 bills. Pictured here is a $25 bill from 1935, courtesy of the Bank of Canada.

Related posts:

  1. TFSA – Tax-Free Savings Account Announced in 2008 Canadian Budget
  2. Boxing Day Sales Don't Seem Cheap After Returning From India
  3. The Canadian Tax Bracket System


PREVIOUS POST: Online Stock Trading Simulator

NEXT POST: A Lap Of The Blogs



About Preet
Preet Banerjee, B.Sc., FMA, DMS, FCSI is the W Network's Money Expert. He is a former stockbroker and financial planner. Prior to that, he was a racecar driver, and before that he trained to be a neuroscientist. Basically, he can't hold down a job for very long.

Comments

  1. Potato says:
    July 17, 2008 at 8:43 pm

    What does Quebec have against flax/linen?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. This and That # 101 says:
    July 17, 2008 at 10:04 pm

    [...] If you are a trivia buff, you’ll like Preet’s post on the composition of Canadian dollar bills. [...]

    Reply

Speak Your Mind

*