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All 1954 Modifieds

 


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The 1954 Modified Series

This issue from the Bank of Canada was prepared following the death of King George VI in 1952. This was the first issue to use Canadian landscapes instead of the "fantasy" type scenes from the past.

On this particular issue, a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was commissioned. When viewed a certain way, the highlighted areas of the Queen's hair produce the illusion of a "Devil's Face" behind her ear. This created an almost instant controversy, and although several theories arose, it was not an error or a prank but a simple illusion taken from the original photograph.

Devil's Face

Modified

Modifications made to the highlights in the hair were made and the series was re-issued as the 1954 "Modified" Series. Modifications to the face plates were made for most denominations in 1956, except the $1000 bill, which was modified some years later.

This series lasted until the early 1970's and were finally replaced when the alphabet was used up in the serial numbers. Counterfeiting had also become a serious problem.

If you're looking for scarce versions of these bills, look for the final signature sets as they were produced only in small quantities and then replaced by the next series.