Originally founded in Halifax in 1869 as the Merchants’ Bank, it later became the Merchants’ Bank of Halifax, then changed its name again in 1901 to become the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). The Royal Bank of Canada is still active and is the largest bank in Canada. All bank notes from The Merchants Bank of Halifax are very rare. Particularly distinct are the notes from 1880 – 1898. Printed in five, ten, and twenty dollar denominations, they have similar designs across the same denomination for different years. These are called “no portrait” bank notes and are extremely scarce and rarely available on the market today.
(Info from imtl.org & canadacurrency.com)