The Bank of Canada’s Currency Museum’s will bring out a selection of new artifacts when it commemorates Remembrance Day with a program entitled Money in Times of Conflict.
The program, which runs through Nov. 13, focuses on how nations across the globe “have reflected our time of conflicts through currency through the ages” and what the currency’s role was in “paying for the troops,” says Louise-Anne Laroche, the gallery’s co-ordinator of public research and evaluation.
The museum, located at 245 Sparks St., will host the program through a series of guided tours. They will be free to the public and will be held once per day in each official language, with the English tours taking place at 1:30 p.m. and the French tours at 3:30 p.m., according to a museum pamphlet.
Although the program has been held at the museum before, it will run longer this year than it has in the past. Previously held only on Remembrance Day, the program ran from Nov. 8-11 in 2010 and will run for eight days this year, says Charles Paradis, the museum’s visitor services co-ordinator.
“We’re trying to see what would be best suited for our guests’ needs,” he adds. “It’s hard to see what your target audience might be when we’re only open for a few hours (on Remembrance Day), so I decided to expand upon that and put a larger offer out for the public, as well.”
Images of prisoner-of-war camp currencies are among the items being brought out for the program. One notable example is an image of Camp 101, a prisoner of war camp set up in Angler, Ont., during the Second World War to hold Axis soldiers, says Paradis.
The museum will also display currencies from occupied countries, such as a Greek note issued by Italian occupants that attempted to smooth relations between the two sides, Paradis says.
The pieces are being brought out, Paradis says, because he feels people would be better able to connect with the program through them.
“What I thought was really neat last year, is that . . . it became often a dialogue,” he said. “It’s interesting some people to see people remembering them at their place of origin, especially with these mid-20th century pieces, and other people remembering them from . . . (a relative overseas bringing) it back as a souvenir and now here it is in Canada.”
The program will highlight past Canadian currencies issued during war, such as playing cards that were used as money in New France, and a victory nickel, a five-cent piece issued in 1942 and made out of “chromium-plated steel or tombak, a type of brass” due to the rationing of nickel, Paradis says.
Currency that commemorates past events, such as last year’s one dollar coin celebrating the Navy’s centennial and the current, Remembrance-themed $10 bill, will also be displayed.
War commemoration through currency helps to reflect Canadian heritage and values, says Alex Reeves, the manager of communications at the Royal Canadian Mint.
“Canadians certainly value the contributions of our troops, not just recently, but in the past,” he said. “The mint has joined Canadians in paying tribute to the men and women of the Canadian forces and our veterans who’ve defended our values through the years.”
These commemorative currencies will be featured in the program because they deal with war in a way the public can understand, Paradis says.
“A lot of people don’t realize why we have specific images on our notes,” he says. “It highlights something that’s very near and dear to Canadians, dealing with Remembrance and peacekeeping and our service to our country.”