Reverse: In the center, an image of a male servant of royalty. At the bottom, the face value and "G DE PARIS", believed to reflect the 15th century custom of naming each jack after a famous figure, in this case one of Charles VII’s generals.

Obverse: On top, "CANADA". In the center, A portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Canadian Mint mark with the mentions "Elizabeth II" on the left and "D•G•REGINA" on the right. At the bottom, the year of issue.

Playing card money was used by the governor in the 17th and 18th centuries when there was a coin shortage. The colony was months away from France, isolated by winter ice and the Atlantic Ocean, so everything was scarce, including coins! Still, merchants, civil servants and soldiers had to be paid. In a desperate move to keep daily transactions flowing, the governor began issuing playing cards with a written promise to pay what was owed when the next shipment of coins arrived from France. Historic records show that cards were cut into halves or quarters and had their corners clipped to reflect different values. Playing card money was first issued in 1685. Despite the king’s displeasure, authorities continued to implement this temporary measure whenever their colony faced a coin shortage. In 1729, they began using plain card stock which circulated like modern bank notes until New France fell to the British in 1759.