Unmentioned security feature

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

Just wanted to let you know that you neglect to mention that the serial numbers on Canadian bank notes are printed with two different inks. Seems not too many people know about this, I recently left a $100 bill in my pants before washing them. The high bleach content of my wash load turned the right side serial number to turn green.
I brought it to my local bank branch to replace as the bill was in pretty bad shape and they confiscated it sighting the serial number colour mismatch. When I told them it was a security feature they told me that they were all trained to spot counterfeit and that mine was indeed fake. I lost a hundred freaking dollars because ScotiaBank employees in Woodbridge Ontario are about as knowledgeable as a piece of driftwood.

Regards to all members,
Toot2shoot

Interesting experience you've had. I'm a little surprised by the attitude taken by your bank.

You're right that there is a difference in the inks of the two serial numbers. The only difference that I am aware of however is that one of them reflects infrared light and the other does not. See below for an example of a typical Journey series note as seen under infrared light.

It is my understanding that the one serial number DOES flouresces under infrared light and that this feature has been on Canadian notes for quite some time.  It has only recently in the last few years come "to light", as it were, as a known security feature.

I was told years ago from a RCMP official invited by our local numismatic club to do a speech about the security features in the Journey's notes that there was many so-called "public" security features, revealed to every one, and some "secret" features known by a number of persons in the BoC and RCMP in order to check the authenticity of a note and to facilitating the detection of the fakes (we cannot reproduce what we don't know to exist).  Obvioulsy, he didn't told us what was these "secret" features... .  But I'm surprised about the reaction of the employees in the bank.  Clearly, they missed something...

Dear members ,
This might be of interest .

http://www.cdnpapermoney.com/forum/index.php?topic=15211.0

Regards Douglas