5 Dollars

The Pictou Bank was one of Nova Scotia's older chartered institutions, founded in 1873 — meaning this note dates from almost immediately after the bank opened. The British American Bank Note Company had only recently been established in Montreal by a merger of two competing firms, and the Pictou Bank was among its earliest Canadian chartered bank clients. BABNC would go on to dominate Canadian commercial banknote printing for decades, but in 1874 the firm was still building its reputation and client base.

Pictou Bank failed in 1887, giving this series a lifespan of roughly thirteen years. Surviving notes are scarce simply due to the bank's short operation and limited regional circulation.