BABN railroad vignettes

I'm not certain how far back this goes, but during the 1980s and through the '90s, British American Bank Note Company in Ottawa produced desk calendars that they distributed to past and potential customers. And fortunately for me, anyone who asked for them. Each page of the calendar had a classic intaglio engraving from their archives and each year had a different theme.

I wish now that I'd kept asking every year, but I have three of these calendars from 1981, 82, and 83. The 1983 calendar was devoted to railroads, with most vignettes from the 1870-1890s. I've scanned some of the best ones for your viewing enjoyment.

 

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Four more vignettes. If anyone can identify a stock, bond or security document with one of these, I'd love to know about it.

I'll post some scans from the other calendars soon.

 

All these vignettes are new to me,never seen them but they are fantastic !

 

Those are rad! I love how the vignette fades out into those security lines too!

 

Greg - Great looking prints! Thanks for sharing!

 

Now those are down right cool :thumb:

 

I don't have any for your group, but I do have this stock certificate from the B & O Railroad.

Chris

 

Those are great.

 

Thanks for posting Chris! I've got that certificate, too -- one of my favorite vignettes.

You would probably enjoy this thread on the American Bank Note Company:
http://www.cointalk.com/t94549/

And please join the Security Engraving group if you haven't already!

 

BABN maritime vignettes

Okay, next batch. I actually like these even more than the railroads. These are from the 1981 calendar, devoted to maritime images. I'll post the frontispiece first. This same vignette of Cartier appears on a souvenir card from CAPEX that I previously posted: http://www.cointalk.com/showpost.php?p=858692&postcount=4

 

Pick your favorite!

 

BABN pastoral vignettes

This last set, from the 1982 calendar, depicts mostly rural scenes of farming and agriculture.

One of these, however, shows a forest scene with deer. This one puzzled me, because the same scene can be found on the first USPS commemorative panel (http://www.stampprof.com/cp/cp001.jpg), printed by ABNC, which identifies it as being engraved in 1859. I also have an original vignette which clearly shows an imprint of the National Bank Note Company.

Close examination reveals that these are separate engravings, with subtle differences in the cascade, the antlers and elsewhere. It would be interesting to see the original art these were based on. Obviously there was some competition between BABN and other bank note companies.

 

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Interesting: I just found another vignette on the 1982 calendar that also bears a close resemblance to one by ABNC. I'll post both. You can find the ABNC vignette on Commemorative Panel CP539 -- http://www.stampprof.com/cp/cp539.jpg

 

Very nice BABN maritime vignettes ,actually all of them are execelent,I just have never seen any of them or know the engravers.Thanks for sharing them with us.

 

Long story made short - you guys have good taste !!!

 

excellent vignettes...I enjoyed them very much.

RB

 

Bob, thanks for the lead on that book: "Ninety Years of Security Printing The Story of the British American Bank Note Company Limited 1866 - 1956."

I have not been able to find a copy available for sale, but did locate a photo of the cover and back. It's a very thin book, only 25 pages, but if my information is correct it contains more than a dozen vignettes. I have sent an interlibrary loan request and if I can obtain a copy, I'll post more information and scans.

Can't seem to upload photos right now -- I keep getting a fatal error.

 

Came across this web site and thought it might be of interest to this thread:

The British American Bank Note Company "The Early Years"

 

Christopher Cross - Sailing