We could not have written this book without the help of many friends and former colleagues at the Bank of Canada. Particular thanks go to Gerry Gaetz, former chief of the Currency Department, and his staff, especially Michael Duncan, Sophie Jenkins, Nicole Poirier, Charles Spencer, and Marie Terrien. Thanks also go to Jill Vardy, chief of the Communications Department; Paul Berry and David Bergeron, respectively chief curator and curator of the National Currency Collection; Jane Boyko, the Bank’s archivist; Gordon Carter and Glyn Davies, the Bank’s photographers; Pierre Duguay, retired Deputy Governor; and Bonnie Schwab, retired adviser to the governor and former head of the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group (CBCDG). Their comments and suggestions were immensely helpful. The Bank’s archives were an invaluable treasure trove of material, while the Bank’s National Currency Collection was the source of most of the illustrations that enrich the text. We would also like to acknowledge with thanks the financial contribution made by the Bank of Canada, which allowed the many illustrations to be produced in colour.
We would additionally like to express our gratitude to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), especially Sergeant Sue MacLean, National Counterfeit co-ordinator, and Superintendent Stephen Foster. The RCMP was the source of valuable information regarding recent counterfeiting activity, including statistics and pictures of counterfeiting seizures. RCMP staff also read and commented on an earlier draft of the manuscript.
We also gratefully acknowledge the help of Heather Darch, curator of the Missisquoi Museum located in Stanbridge East, Quebec, who provided us with images and information concerning the nineteenth-century counterfeiters in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.
Thanks also to Patricia Buchanan, who prepared the index, and to our editor, John Stevens, who helped whip our book into shape for publication. We also want to thank proofreader Nancy Syrett, and all the other members of the great team at the General Store Publishing House, headed by Tim Gordon, who took a chance on us.
Finally, we would like to thank our spouses, Robert Moxley and Nicolle Powell, who provided us with valuable advice, encouragement, and emotional support. Nicolle also helped in preparing illustrations for publication. Our sons, Andrew Powell and Matthew Moxley, provided effective technical support.
The views expressed in this book, as well as all errors and oversights, are those of the authors and are not attributable to any other person, the Bank of Canada, or the RCMP.
The authors have received permission from the Bank of Canada to reproduce, in whole or in part, images of Canadian bank notes pursuant to the Bank’s policy on the reproduction of bank-note images.