2 Dollars

The Royal Canadian Bank was chartered in 1869 — which means any note dated 1865 predates its formal charter, placing this in the brief window of pre-charter operation that several Canadian free banking institutions used to establish themselves before legislative approval was finalized. The bank ultimately failed in 1871, a casualty of over-extended credit and the volatile post-Confederation financial environment, and its notes were retired under receivership.

ABNCo's Toronto-area bank contracts during the 1860s were prolific, and the plates from failed institutions were sometimes retained and cancelled on-press. Whether this note's plates were formally cancelled or simply withdrawn is not documented in ABNCo's surviving records for this series.