10 Dollars

The Bank of Hamilton was one of Ontario's more durable chartered banks, operating from 1872 until its absorption by the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1924. By 1892, Canadian chartered banks still issued their own paper currency under the Bank Act — a system that allowed private institutions to circulate notes up to twice their paid-up capital, provided they maintained specie reserves. The Western Bank Note Company, a Chicago firm better known for American Midwest clients, appears here as an unusual choice given that most Canadian chartered banks of the period favored the American Bank Note Company or British American Bank Note Company for their engraving work.

The Chicago connection is worth noting: Western Bank Note had recently expanded its commercial banking clients, and Hamilton's proximity to the US border may have made the relationship practical.