Photos of an original Bank of Canada Brick of $10 Commemorative Notes

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I managed to pick up an original, sealed, Bank of Canada brick (1,000 /10 bundles) of $10 commemorative bank notes.  This brick was obtained from an RBC Bank branch in Vancouver.  Each 100 notes are bundled in yellow/white paper wrap/band with BoC and date printed on each band. In this case, April 17, 2017.  Five bundles of notes also were bundled in a clear plastic wrap.

The serial numbers are really mixed up in each bundle of these CDA prefix notes.  It is really messed up. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice ladder radar, and an ALMOST ladder note.  Still cool, though.

Photos below.

pretty cool

I managed to pick up an original, sealed, Bank of Canada brick (1,000 /10 bundles) of $10 commemorative bank notes.  This brick was obtained from an RBC Bank branch in Vancouver.  Each 100 notes are bundled in yellow/white paper wrap/band with BoC and date printed on each band. In this case, April 17, 2017.  Five bundles of notes also were bundled in a clear plastic wrap.

The serial numbers are really mixed up in each bundle of these CDA prefix notes.  It is really messed up. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice ladder radar, and an ALMOST ladder note.  Still cool, though.

Hello Coinsplus,

Thank you for sharing the brick data. Very interesting information. Every brick is separated into half bricks and each half brick is wrapped in celophane band. The organization of the brick you have shown is very predictable based on prior knowledge of bricks. What is not predictable is a ladder radar in the information you provided. The only radar possibility that comes close to being in the brick information would be: 4567654 unless I am missing something. However I do not see the possibility of that ladder in the brick information that the photographs indicate. Would you be able to share that ladder radar you found?

I think your brick data suggests existence of 3 possible radars in the brick: 4543454, 4542454 and 4541454. My estimation assuming that the serial number sequencing is as shown in the pictures tells me that if you got only one radar it would have been 4542454 or 4543454. Chances are you got both but if you only got one of the two is because the other was removed by the Single Note Inspection Process. For the third possible radar most likely the brick ran out of range before it reached the 4541454.

Of course these are based on my understanding of how bricks are put together so if it is wrong it would be appreciated if you can share the specific serial number if you can.

Clearly what your brick information and the information from others shows is a need to ask the basic question about inserts. How come if the BoC is using inserts then they are not in these bricks but instead there are gaps of missing serial numbers from the sequence. If inserts are deliberately or by design put in then they should be found in all bricks and not just some special bricks.

Thank you for sharing.

BTW you most likely have a full column from a sheet. I have not had a chance to calculate but by my estimation you have PN from 11 to 05. If you can find notes with the same last two numbers from each of the consecutive PNs you will have an opportunity to reconstruct a column of the sheet plus some from the row on the side. It is possible that some PN's may be missing or some notes with similar last two numbers may be missing. If you are interested to work this out drop me a message.

Wow, coinsplus. You must have a really good relationship with the bank employees because they would only give me 20 of these at a time.

I don't imagine you are planning to keep them all?  I wouldn't minding picking a few up from you. We're in the same city. PM me if interested.

Hello Coinsplus,

Thank you for sharing the brick data. Very interesting information. Every brick is separated into half bricks and each half brick is wrapped in celophane band. The organization of the brick you have shown is very predictable based on prior knowledge of bricks. What is not predictable is a ladder radar in the information you provided. The only radar possibility that comes close to being in the brick information would be: 4567654 unless I am missing something. However I do not see the possibility of that ladder in the brick information that the photographs indicate. Would you be able to share that ladder radar you found?

I think your brick data suggests existence of 3 possible radars in the brick: 4543454, 4542454 and 4541454. My estimation assuming that the serial number sequencing is as shown in the pictures tells me that if you got only one radar it would have been 4542454 or 4543454. Chances are you got both but if you only got one of the two is because the other was removed by the Single Note Inspection Process. For the third possible radar most likely the brick ran out of range before it reached the 4541454.

BTW you most likely have a full column from a sheet. I have not had a chance to calculate but by my estimation you have PN from 11 to 05. If you can find notes with the same last two numbers from each of the consecutive PNs you will have an opportunity to reconstruct a column of the sheet plus some from the row on the side. It is possible that some PN's may be missing or some notes with similar last two numbers may be missing. If you are interested to work this out drop me a message.

Hi Rupiah,

Thanks for your message.  Sorry I do not have a ladder radar.  I should have said I have a wave radar, 4543454.  You were right on your assumption... As for the other radar ranges in the brick, 4542454 was unfortunately missing! For the 4541454, you are correct...it ran out before it could get that high.  The range for 4541.... Went from 626-699, then 401-437 (short from hitting that other radar).

Wow, coinsplus. You must have a really good relationship with the bank employees because they would only give me 20 of these at a time.

I don't imagine you are planning to keep them all?  I wouldn't minding picking a few up from you. We're in the same city. PM me if interested.

Hi Seth, yes, I have connections at a few branches.  This branch was willing to give me two bricks (as these notes were not popular at this branch).  One was opened, though, and I did not have an extra $10k laying around to get the other, orphaned, 10 bundles.

Hi Rupiah,

I went through the 10 bundles and recorded the serial numbers and the missing notes.  No wonder why the prefix extended to CDF!  There are so many missing notes.


Bundle 1

4541626-48, no 649,
650-58, no 659,
660-75, no 676,
677-80, no 681; 
682-83, no 684,
685-93, no 694-695,
696-99
Then 4541401-02, no 403,
404-30, no 431
432-33, no 434
435-37

Bundle 2

4541814-22, no 823-24
825-30, no 831
832-44, no 845
846-48, no 849
850-74, no 875
876-93, no 894
895-98,
Then, 4541602-04, no 605
606-25

Bundle 3

4542297-99
Then, 4542001-07, no 008-10
011-13, no 014
015-, no 017
018-046, no 047
048, no 049
050-66, no 067-69
070-87, no 088
089-93, no 094
095-97
Then, 4541801-12

Bundle 4

4542479-99
Then, 4542201-02, no 03
204, no 05
206-10, no 211-12
213, no 214
215-16, no 217
218-25, no 226
227, no 228-29
230-37, no 238
239-46, no 247
248-66, no 267
268-70, no 271
272, no 273
274-83, no 284
285-294, no 295
296

Bundle 5

4542663-65, no 666
667-691, no 692-93
694-698
Then 4542401-02, no 403-04
405-16, no 417-18
419-23, no 424
425-27, no 428
429-44, no 445
446-48, no 449
450-53, no 454
455-70, no 471
472-76, no 477
478

Bundle 6

4542834-42, no 843-45
846-52, no 853
854, no 855
856, no 857-59
860-61, no 862
863-65, no 866
867-68, no 869
870-872, no 873-74
875-879, no 880
881, no 882
883-85, no 886
888-891, no 892-94
895, no 896
897-899
Then, 4542601-07, no 608
609-10, no 611-12
613-14, no 615
616-34, no 635
636-38, no 639
640, no 641-42
643-662
 
Bundle 7

4543269-70, no 271
272-76, no 277
278-89, no 290
291-99
Then 4543000-01, no 002
003, no 004-05
006, no 007
008-09, no 010-11
012, no 013-14
015, no 016
017, no 018
019, no 020
021-022, no 023
024, no 025
026-28, no 029
030, no 031
032, no 033
034, no 035-39
040, no 041
042-43, no 044-46
047-48, no 049-51
052, no 053-62
063-64, no 065
066, no 067
068-70, no 071
072-75, no 076-78
079-81, no 082-83
084-85, no 086-87
088, no 089
090-92, no 093
094, no 095
096, no 097-98
099
Then 4542801-09, no 810
811-13, no 814
815, no 816-18
819-824, no 825-26
827-30, no 831
832-833

Bundle 8

4543455-87, no 488
489-98
Then, 4543201, no 202
203, no 204
205-09, no 211
212, no 213
214, no 215
216, no 217
218-30, no 231
232-50, no 251
252-54, no 255
256-65, no 266
267

Bundle 9

4543644-45, no 646
647-48, no 649
650-51, no 652
653-56, no 657
658-73, no 674-75
676, no 677
678-92, no 693
694-699
Then, 4543400-01, no 402
403-04, no 405
406-28, no 429
430-54

Bundle 10

4544095-96, no 097
098-99
Then, 4543801-05, no 806
807-10, no 811
812, no 813
814-16, no 817
818, no 819
820-22, no 823
824-846, no 847
848, no 849-53
854, no 855-57
858-59, no 860-866
867, no 868-70
871, no 872-75
876, no 877-885
886-87, no 888-90
891-94, no 895-96
897-899
Then, 4543600-10, no 611
612-13, no 614
615-36, no 637
638-43

Thx for sharing.

With the gaps and broken sequences in those bricks, it begs the question as to whether or not what has been identified as replacement notes to this point is correct. To me, since the demise of asterisk notes, it has seemed unreasonable that there could possibly be so many replacement notes as are being identified as such these days. Could it be that the BOC just shuffles notes around like could be the case with the 150 notes? I can only guess, of course, but this makes me wonder what is going on.

With the gaps and broken sequences in those bricks, it begs the question as to whether or not what has been identified as replacement notes to this point is correct. To me, since the demise of asterisk notes, it has seemed unreasonable that there could possibly be so many replacement notes as are being identified as such these days. Could it be that the BOC just shuffles notes around like could be the case with the 150 notes? I can only guess, of course, but this makes me wonder what is going on.

It seems like the people in the collecting industry do not want to accept what the BoC is officially saying.

It is a known fact that at least as of the time the $5 and $10's were produced (in 2013), the BoC is using something called "single note inspection" process or SNI. This process is is fully automated and machine driven. In this process sheets of notes that have been cut are processed into the machines. The machine inspects each note - therefore "single note inspection" - to the criteria set by the BoC and rejects any single note that does not meet the criteria. The accepted notes get packaged into bundles right out of the machine and then on to brick. There is no human handling. So when a note is rejected by the machine the next note that is not rejected moves into the sequence of completing the bundle.

The manner in which rejected notes are dealt with may be different. They may be inspected a second time by a machine or if there are too many rejects possibly by human intervention. Presumably if some of these original rejects are found to be fit then they would be put into packaging.

I am happy to send anyone information about the flowchart of the process if you message me your e-mail and disclose your full name.

A similar SNI process has been adopted by many Central Banks. A good researcher can find public information on the use of the SNI Process that was used for the US $100 notes. The company that supplied the machine for those notes is also the company that was contracted out to do the SNI Process for BoC. Anyone who cares to look at large public contracts awarded by BoC can add 2 and 2 together to arrive at a similar finding. The BoC in advertising for hiring positions in their currency department has made references to the SNI Process. I cannot be sure now but their annual report from a few years back also had something about it.

But the final proof has to be in the pudding. Why is it that there are many people including myself who are finding bundles and bricks with notes that are missing but with no replacements? Are people who are researching and finding replacements getting some special bricks that these other people are not getting? Anyone will recall that when * notes were used it was clearly stated that they were there to complete the bundle and the entity receiving such a bundle would know that the missing note was replaced. Those following US * notes also know that the bundles with * were specially marked to inform the receving person of the situation.

So if all this replacement is based on some kind of research then lets ask this fundamental question - If the BoC is actually making an effort to insert some notes with rejected notes then why is not doing it for all bundles? Nothing I am saying should be construed to mean that the researchers reporting on the replacement-inserts are wrong. But could it be that their findings are a result of something totally not meant to be the same as the whole idea behind replacement notes and merely incidental or accidental?

But then there is too much rationality in the above. Numismatics particularly when it comes to collecting I have realized is based on the whims and fancies of the collectors and those who make it their business to serve the collectors. I have come to realize that the more rational one is the less collecting they will do.

Good thing is that this is all discretionary. So for those who believe in inserts-replacements-whatever you want to call them- there is no proof needed. Or maybe any proof is adequate.

Happy collecting  Whatever you collect  The feel good thing about holding on to a SNR or Sheet replacement whose catalog value is high can make up for any eventual shocks you might get when you realize the liquidity crisis in holding on to these financial instruments  Besides you never know some of these things may be sold from an estate of a collector who may not even see the proceeds of their collection. At that time even getting face value might seem like a lottery to the person inheriting.

As for me I am happy to give 10% commission to anyone that can help me find a dealer who will buy some of my sheet replacement notes even at equivalent cost of the non-replacement notes of the same grade.

Regardless of anything there has been some tremendous buzz with respect to these commemmorative 10's.

Enough Said. Cheers.