50 Dollars

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.