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10 Dollars
| Issuer | Ontario Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1888 |
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| Value | 10 Dollars |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black intaglio on white paper. A central allegorical vignette presents a seated female figure — personifying Dominion of Canada — flanked by two oval vignettes: at left, two young children in a pastoral scene; at right, a standing male figure in classical dress. The denomination numerals '10' appear in guilloche-bordered counters at each side, with the legend 'ONTARIO BANK' arched across the top, 'DOMINION OF CANADA' below it, and further inscriptions reading 'Capital $1,500,000', 'Incorporated in 1857', 'Will pay to Bearer on Demand', 'TEN DOLLARS', 'TORONTO', and the date '1ST JUNE, 1888', with printed signature lines for President and Comptroller at the lower centre. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is executed entirely in fine-line intaglio lathe work, with an intricate guilloche border of geometric and floral arabesques framing the entire field. A central oval medallion carries the denomination numeral '10' within layered engine-turned rings, surrounded by the text 'ONTARIO BANK' in an ornate cartouche. Elaborate botanical sprays fill the four corner panels, and a continuous meander pattern borders the outer edge, the whole composition printed in black by the American Bank Note Company, New York. |
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| Comments |
The Ontario Bank was a mid-tier Canadian chartered bank headquartered in Oshawa, operating under Dominion charter from 1857. It survived several rounds of Canadian banking consolidation before finally failing in 1906 — one of the more dramatic chartered bank collapses of the Laurier era, leaving depositors and noteholders scrambling. Notes from the final years circulated under a cloud, but an 1888 issue predates the trouble by nearly two decades and reflects the bank at a period of reasonable stability.
ABNCo's Toronto and Montreal competitors also printed for Canadian chartered banks during this period, but American Bank Note held a strong share of the market from their New York plant.