100 Dollars

The Colonial Bank of Canada was a Montreal-based chartered bank that operated from 1835 until it was absorbed by the City Bank in 1859 — which effectively defines the upper boundary of this note's possible issue window. The American Bank Note Company was formed in 1858 through the consolidation of several earlier New York security printers, so notes bearing that imprint were produced only in the final year or two of the bank's existence; earlier issues within this date range would have come from one of the predecessor firms.

A 100-dollar denomination from a mid-nineteenth-century Canadian chartered bank represents a significant face value — equivalent to several months' wages for a skilled tradesman. Actual circulation at this level was limited almost entirely to commercial transactions between merchants and institutions.