1937 series sizes

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

Ive been doing some 'researching' on the 1937 series sizes.  I noticed a set for sale where the pics of some of the notes seem to be 2 or 3 mm different in length or width. 

Now I have read throughout the forums about trimming.  The sizes of the 1937s on the BOC website is 6" x 2 7/8 ". 

I noticed a topic about 1937 sizing from the past.  People mentioned that the newly made wet bills will shrink to variable sizing.  hmmmmmmm.

Does anyone currently have 1937 series money that is different sizes?  Do they believe they were trimmed or was it naturally occurring in their opinion? 

I cant seem to find a definitive answer on the subject. 

If they really did come from the factory in different sizes...........How can I tell if the note was trimmed vs shrunk when drying?

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I have a 1937 $1 note somewhere in my collection that is known as a “shrunken” note. You can tell it shrunk and not trimmed as the margins are still quite wide, and when matched up against a non-shrunken note, you will see that even the printed area is also smaller in size.

Telling a trimmed note can sometimes be very tough. Things to look and think about
- If the edge of the note is bright white compared to the rest of the notes
- The note has signs of circulation, and the corners are sharp and pointed
- There are no margins left on the note, and the edges are tight with the design
- As mentioned, the size of the note is much smaller when compared to other notes.

There a slight variation in sizing of non-tampered with notes, they could be higher/shorter or wider/narrower, due to position in the cutter and where the note lies in the stack. This was made very evident with the journey series tens with missing circle right on the edge of the note. The notes in the first half of the stack did not have the white circle, and the lower half had the circle, indicating there is a shift slight buckling in the paper when it is sliced.

I also have in my collection a note that is cut higher and narrower, and it is all original.

I hope this does not confuse you anymore

Thank you Elwoodbluesca!!!

That is exactly the kind of knowledgeable answer I am looking for.  It gives me the information I need to make an 'educated' purchase and to enjoy the notes without worrying about them being trimmed.
 
The part about the printed area being smaller along with the note makes good sense.  I will definitely watch for this as well as the other good points.

Thanks again.

Just remember if you are going to start buying bank notes, and why wouldn’t you, this is a great hobby, pick yourself up the most current copy of the Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Government Paper Money. This will be your best companion and guidance when buying notes.

Also do your research, and ask as many question as you would like on the forum here, there is never a dumb question, especially when you are learning about notes.

As for the shrinking note, I did not pay a huge premium over face value for mine, as they are not all that rare if you look around. If you miss this one, there is always another.

General rule of thumb: If it looks trimmed, it's trimmed.  Doesn't matter if it's original or not.  Buyers will discount a note with one or more tight margins.  Ditto for a note with crooked edges due to misalignment of the original sheet.  A note can be trimmed and still look OK because only a tiny portion of the edge was removed. A well-centred trimmed note could pull in the same price at sale as a poorly centered original note because centering is perhaps at least as important as how much actual white border is there.  As long as there's no obvious evidence of trimming, it's nearly impossible to identify an expert trim job.

What Elwood said about shrinking notes is spot on.  I had a pair of high grade 1937 $10 notes with one having the printed portion (i.e., not including the white borders) at least a half centimeter shorter in length than the other.  These notes would have made good visual fodder for this topic but I no longer have them.

There's another possible source of variation in note size: cleaning/pressing/washing.  I don't know the mechanics of how it's done, but some notes get stretched in the process of being altered to improve their appearance.  Applying tension to a note during the alteration process apparently helps to keep the note flat and I surmise that that is how the note gets bigger.  Here's a scary thought to anyone who thinks he can identify an original note with a ruler in hand: a stretched and trimmed note can be the same size after alteration as before (in theory).  Eek!