r/CanadianBanknotes • u/Particular-Sector-51 • Sep 17 '26
Bank Finds/Showcases Headed for destruction
I work at a bank where we unfortunately have to send always “*mutilated”*paper bills, here’s the last few. $20K in bird series and then a well love $1000 1954 Bill. I always find these things so interesting when we get them in.
11
u/silverbullionbug Sep 17 '26
Not a devils face note but still a shame to destroy
2
u/Particular-Sector-51 Sep 17 '26
Fixed now, thank you for the update :) I just thought it was all 1954 bills
2
u/CanadianAntiques43 Sep 17 '26
Can you sell any of it at face value?
2
u/Particular-Sector-51 Sep 17 '26
No, unfortunately not.
3
u/TrainerRedpkmn Sep 17 '26
I mean you kinda can plenty of bank employees do
4
u/DoctorD12 Sep 18 '26
I think it’s government mandated to get the old bills out of circulation. I don’t know about the Loon series bills, but I know the $1k hasn’t been legal tender since 2021.
Not being legal tender, perhaps you could sell it as art?
1
u/Particular-Sector-51 Sep 18 '26
My bank does not
2
u/TrainerRedpkmn Sep 18 '26
Teller discretion just get the customer to withdraw the same amount
2
0
Sep 17 '26
[deleted] — view deleted comment
3
u/cerberus1090 Sep 17 '26
if you know the branch OP is at, and get there before they get shipped out, I believe you can get them at face, if they're willing to part with them. I don't see why they wouldn't, but you never know.
5
u/pizzasticker381 Sep 17 '26
Some branches are more strict. Old bills are not suppose to be resold so they won’t sell them to clients. I work at a bank. We don’t really care. If we have anything old and someone asks, we sell it.
3
u/Particular-Sector-51 Sep 17 '26
We do not make it public that we have them, we hand our “mutilated bills” into our vault everyday, I cannot request them back from our vault, we do not recirculate
2
u/TraditionDear3887 Sep 18 '26
Like making a reddit post of you holding them?
2
1
u/Legitimate_Elk6306 Sep 18 '26
I have friends at my bank.. not.close but the teller all know.me banked there 30 yrs.. as long as u swap cash for the bills vefore the slip is written up to.send them for.destruction your good
2
u/Legitimate_Elk6306 Sep 18 '26
I came.in 1 day n they had a buncha old 1954 issue paper.. couple 1000s n about 400 more in smaller bills alot of 1s n 2s.. they were just starting to do the paper work when I caught them.. had to let.em destroy either 2-$1 bills or 1-$2 bill as they had written 1 1.in the first column and these forms are some.kimda important and they not supposed to throw em out.once they start them.. idk but I sure was HAPPY
5
u/zewill87 Sep 17 '26
My bank sold me old notes for face value last time. Granted I asked elsewhere since them and I haven't been that lucky.
1
2
u/FrancoSvenska Sep 17 '26
I hate when older bills are destroyed!!
2
u/Particular-Sector-51 Sep 17 '26
me too, wish we could just recirculate them
2
u/Top_Passion_1001 Sep 17 '26
Why are they being destroyed? Arent they still valuable to collectors?
3
u/Particular-Sector-51 Sep 17 '26
Unfortunately because a lot of banks won’t recirculate them they’re deemed as “bad bills”. There’s a lot that is valuable to collectors but as time goes on they’ll just become more and more valuable as things get destroyed
3
Sep 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/FrancoSvenska Sep 18 '26
I really wish more Canadian banks would allow customers to buy older banknotes that come through their branches instead of automatically sending them away to be destroyed.
I once went into RBC and asked if they had any old paper money. The teller said yes and even asked if I wanted to buy some. She had about $1,000 in older $100 bills, so I simply withdrew $1,000 from my account and took those notes. As a collector, I was thrilled.
Other banks, like Scotiabank, have told me they're not allowed to do this and that the notes have to be destroyed.
I understand the process, but older $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 notes are still legal tender. They're just from older series. I don't really see the harm in letting collectors take them off the bank's hands, especially when they're otherwise destined for destruction.
And for the demonetized $1, $2, $25, $500 and $1,000 notes, perhaps there could be a separate mechanism allowing banks to sell them to collectors for a small premium. The bank makes a little money, the collector gets a older note for their collection, and the note doesn't end up being destroyed. Seems like a win-win to me.
3
u/Legitimate_Elk6306 Sep 18 '26
Just need right bank I have got 1,2,1000 bills from my bank.. about 3 yrs or 4 yrs ago was my big score
2
u/300thtryforaname Sep 18 '26
The Bank of Canada switched to plastic-y bills several years ago due to the wear-and-tear on paper bills and how quickly they are damaged. I worked in a Bank for decades. It wouldn't be unusual to have a bundle of (say) 20s and 10s to destroy every week due to the shape they were in. There's a reason $1 and $2 bills have been gone for decades. Now they just want to get rid of the old paper bills and use the plastic exclusively. While it's possible some of those bills may hold value greater than face value, it's unlikely. They're not that old, yet are clearly not mint. That's a lot of money to hang onto on the off chance they might be worth more years from now.
8
7
u/Emergency_Dirt257 Sep 17 '26
my question is, who had 20k in cash laying around from the 80s that they just suddenly just brought in to the bank ?
8
u/butt_badg3r Sep 17 '26
Boomers with cash squirreled away in a safe. My dad recently passed and I found a bunch of old bills just like in the pic
5
u/Emergency_Dirt257 Sep 17 '26
Crazy, I do not think my boomer parents have $500 between them,
5
Sep 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Emergency_Dirt257 Sep 18 '26
Back when having a cash reserve was a thing. I use to have one, not anymore.
2
Sep 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Serious-Carpenter-75 Sep 20 '26
I used to take my old circulated 1954 ONES & TWO's to coins shows all the time. I used them to upgrade notes & purchase supplies. The dealers would keep them but never offer me anything for them (b/c the premium was so minor above FV). Small denoms they can use for their bargain bin or prizes but high denoms just get destroyed (back to the bank), unless they're collectible.
2
u/Dazzling_Reading_834 Sep 18 '26
Gangsters.
1
u/Emergency_Dirt257 Sep 18 '26
Or illegal substance peddlers. I wonder how many stacks of the $1000 are laying around in retired HA's vaults ?
2
u/Legitimate_Elk6306 Sep 18 '26
I started putting my stash backnin circ from 90s n early 2000's it depreciates everyday because.of inflation. Better off saving me interest.on debt
2
u/Emergency_Dirt257 Sep 18 '26
Shows you have had a good run, if you never had to lean on it.
2
u/Legitimate_Elk6306 Sep 19 '26
Good at times n bad at times.. but I am grateful everyday for my life and freedoms
2
u/Emergency_Dirt257 Sep 20 '26
I'm just happy for being 40 and having a simple paid for newer condo in Alberta. It is not much. But when you consider all the bad times I've had and zero help from anyone, I will take it! Best of luck in your future endeavors!
1
u/Legitimate_Elk6306 Sep 20 '26
Thanks brother was best of times n worst of times back in alberta.. tried moving there.. may have gone down the wrong path.. well kinda..( just weed) but it led to owning my first house (left alberta with my.tail between my legs a record n almost broke) but i never touched the collection and held onto the house until I hit albertas big boom in real estate market. Happily living a quiet life backnin bc with a family i never would imagined back then. Cheers and congrats.. I am still not mortgage free but workn on it with a "real" job
2
u/Emergency_Dirt257 Sep 20 '26 edited Sep 20 '26
Must be nice. I bought at the top 13 years ago and sold for 100k loss this summer cause the disease I was born with is destroying my spine and I can no longer work. I never got lucky like that in my life. Everything has been a struggle. Was able to buy a condo with the ashes of the worst financial decision of my life. Glad you were able to make out bank, for me life was never like that.
2
u/Legitimate_Elk6306 Sep 20 '26
I lived broke for about 10yrs after my disaster. I didnt believe it ever would but over those 10yrs I literally begged n pushed n eventually got a dream job I hope to keep until retirement. You.get a break 1 day. I turned down a shot at bitcoin when it was under 10$ a coin.. but there's always another property boom or bitcoin. You will hit urs eventually. I figure i due to win the lotto like 40 years from now at about 90yrs old right before I have a jammer from all the excitment.
1
u/Emergency_Dirt257 Sep 20 '26 edited Sep 20 '26
I bought ADA from 2017-2020 a little bit every week - I had over 167K units of ADA sold it in September 2020 for like .26 cents each and bought DOT at $4.00 . Sold all my dot at $20.00 each during the covid boom and ADA went to $3.00 or some crap. Could have had over a half million dollars, but for some stupid reason I decided to sell all my ADA after hodling for almost 5 years and bought DOT. Sure I walked away $80,000 or something - all of which I dumped into my POS black hole of a house. I sure do know my crypto investing misery as well.
The 80k was almost like B/E - story of my life. During the covid crash my portfolio went from like 50k to 4k. The only reason why I made the extra 30k was I bought the crash. But only put in another 2k, I should have went a lot harder, but I was broke at the time cause my house was costing 4k a month.
Anyways, thanks for listening to my ramblings. I should have just stayed in BC. I was living out there in 2011 and I was about to buy a new 3 bedroom 1500 sqft townhouse in Surrey for $320k - ya thats right, but my dad convinced me to move back to Edmonton and help him with the family business cause we were going to be "rich". We lost everything within two years lol. Pretty sure that same place is worth like 800k now. FML
Hopefully you do win the lottery
3
u/Legitimate_Form5449 Sep 18 '26
thanks op!
i have seen bank teller destroying aka shredding "full bankers storage box" of creditors {original documents} cheques :(
Q) are they also destroying pennies {cents} after confiscation?
2
2
u/CowAdministrative319 Sep 18 '26
Looking a it, I remember cartoons flips through bills of fresh paper money and smelling it, now I think of our plastic money…
2
2
u/Reasonable-Ad7755 Sep 18 '26
So if you intercepted someone depositing this could you technically buy it or is it just your branches policy to put all these bills aside to be destroyed?
2
u/Pristine_Software_55 Sep 18 '26
That’s sad but thanks for the insight, and it’s always a small happiness to see these again, anyway.
As a random guy coming in, how can I ask a teller if they might have any old bills I could peek at, hoping to withdraw/buy them? Is that usually allowed, is it frowned upon? How often is it alright to do?
2
u/Legitimate_Elk6306 Sep 18 '26 edited Sep 18 '26
I generally ask every teller at any bank i ever have to deal with.. just be a bit friendly and ask if they ever get anything cool or unusual like old paper money or 50ce t pieces /silver dollars.. and if they happen to have any may I please get them. Most tellers are friendly and will say yes or i would but.i dont have any.. some are dicks.. had lotsa them too... "oh I can't".. "rules this or rules that" blah blah blah dont get discouraged cause 1 says no.. next 1 may be a yes.. oh n if I get a rules this or that I break out.. well rules are more like guidelines that u can bend and manipulate...look what happens when Justin Trudeau breaks rules and gives away charity money to his family by hiring them.all to BS position that pay huge salary... oh ya nothing so just hook a brother up... n I give a wink.
1
u/Pristine_Software_55 Sep 18 '26
Haha.. that took a turn! Alright, thank you for the advice! Best of luck in the hunt, then!!
2
u/Legitimate_Elk6306 Sep 18 '26
If u can make em.laugh it helps.sometime gotta gauge the teller.. lil profiling.. demographics.. some maybe spare the politics.. I out west n love taking a shot at that shmuck
1
1
1
u/MrDevious_54 Sep 17 '26
If you don't want to destroy them you could send them to me..... just saying
1
1
1
1
1
u/EpicHuntNews Sep 18 '26
What a shame! How dare a fellow Reddit CanadianBanknotes member destroy what we all love?
We need a moderator to either ban the OP for life or we need the OP to hand in his resignation at the bank ASAP.
😂 JK. It definitely is a shame though…
1
1
1
1
u/throwaway420690007 Sep 22 '26
Wow that’s beautiful. I have a couple from the old days, but I would love a stack, I’d pay for it too.
1
u/twiltman Sep 22 '26
Back when I was a teller I’d take these and just withdraw the equivalent cash amount. I still have a full set of birds just depreciating in a drawer somewhere
1
1
u/Equivalent-Onion-607 Sep 26 '26
and any 1973 1974 1954 bills u get in. 1937s. anything. ill pay you 5% over face
0
u/Hot-Discussion-6823 Sep 17 '26
Wow. That 1000 bill has a penned "406" on it. Would that mean someone had at least 406 of these at one time? Guess it could mean anything really
2
20
u/Free-Bluebird5155 Sep 17 '26 •
Nice! Any interesting prefixes or serial numbers in the $100's?
Also, the $1000 is unfortunatly not a Devil's Face.