circulating money in the late 1970's -early '80s

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Hi,

Yesterday, I was trying to see what I could remember from the earliest years of my life.  (Don't ask me why, but it seems like something to do on a lazy Saturday afternoon...) 

I seem to recall fragments of events such as:  Being on my dad's shoulders at the Dec. 1980 memorial for John Lennon at City Hall, the 1st Canada day,(before that it was called Dominion Day) and the signing of the constitution in 1982.  Besides showing you that I'm getting old,   I seem to recall that there were still a few 1954 banknotes floating around in circulation.  I remember seeing 2 letter multicoloured notes.

I recall helping my grandfather count money for the Japanese School every week (great way for a kid to learn math eh?) and there were lots of '69 $20s and lots of '72 $5s. 

Do you think it took longer in the past to withdraw obsolete banknotes than it does today?  Were 1954 notes being used at that time and with what frequency?

Thanks for reading the ramblings of my mind.  Perhaps I am experiencing some false memories in here but I'm fairly certain of what I remember.

cheers,
Dean

One thing I remember is getting pushed and shoved through Maple Leaf Gardens when my dad and his friend took me with them to see the Beatles at Maple Leaf Gardens when my mom thought we were camping....now that is getting old
And yes, 54 issues and asterisks notes were floating around and I still have many of them that I passed down to my daughter, but at that time the notes didn't interest me...it was the silver coins that I hoarded. Going into a bank and asking for a silver dollar or two was so common. Any allowance I had quickly was changed for silver dollars and thrown into an old coffee can....ah those were the days

I also remember going to my corner store in Montreal with a pocket full of change and trading the store owner for all his silver that he got that day. Not to much in to saving paper money back then "damn" I didn`t get to much money that I could fold and when we did WOW what a dollar could buy back then! Then one day in 1979 "I know the year because I wrote it on the note". The store owner tolded me he got something special for me of course I ran home and smashed my piggy bank and ran back to the store, he told me someone came in and payed in all silver dallors and one of these and he pulled out a 1937 one dallor. I though it was the greatest thing I ever saw, so we made the trade for the dallor and the silver dallors.
I showed my grandfather what I just trade for and he start pulling out notes with stars on them and some that started with 31, didn`t know and didn`t care mine was so much better looking.

HOOKED LINE AND SINKER.

yeah, I miss having $1 & $2 bills.  Made you feel rich back when you were a kid.  You can experience that again if you go to the states.

Luckily I have several friends who work for the banks and I have a steady supply of circulated vintage currency.  I haven't found any asterisk notes or anything special yet but I enjoy spending the notes at school.  The kids have never seen them before!
I also do the "burning money" demo in science class...the students LOVE that one!  Then, inevitably, one of them wants to trade me a loonie for the bill!


Dean