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50 Dollars
| Issuer | Bank of British North America, St. John, New Brunswick |
|---|---|
| Year | 1866 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA FIFTY DOLLARS 50 This Bank will pay the Bearer on demand Fifty Dollars AT St. JOHN, New Brunswick 1st September 1866 INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER ST. JOHN |
| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, consistent with the practice of many private chartered bank issues of the mid-nineteenth century; faint offset impression of the intaglio obverse design is visible in mirror image through the thin cotton paper, with no deliberate printing applied to this side. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of British North America was a London-chartered institution operating branches across the Canadian colonies, and by 1866 it was navigating an awkward transitional moment — Confederation was a year away, and the political status of New Brunswick was actively in flux. This note was issued from the St. John branch at precisely the moment local merchants were debating whether union with Canada served their commercial interests.
The American Bank Note Company in New York handled security printing for numerous British colonial banks during this period, a practical arrangement that occasionally unsettled London directors uncomfortable with their notes being produced on the wrong side of the Atlantic. The St. John branch designation distinguishes this from otherwise identical BBNA plates used at Halifax and Montreal.