I dropped by an RBC branch in Vancouver and was told by the teller that they got a whole bunch of older notes and coins. I basically took everything, including 38 rolls of one cent coins. This way the branch is very happy that the “mutilated” currency is out of their hands.
There were a whole bunch of nickel dollars as well as 50 cent pieces. To my surprise, there were 9 Canadian Silver 50 cent pieces and a loose 25 cent silver coin. Not too shabby for getting them at face value ($4.75), avoiding the coins from their inevitable melt. The silver value alone is worth over $75 Canadian.
There is nothing to lose by asking, and you may come across a small lottery win like this. It will take me some time to go through the notes.
The unwanted leftovers will go to another bank.