The Banks...Has anyone else noticed?

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Hi,

Have the banks become increasingly anal regarding their willingness to help paper money collectors?  Just the other day, I was at the Royal Bank at Bloor & Yonge in Toronto and I decided to ask if there were any notes available...Well, it just so happened that the teller who served me had a pile of obsolete currency sitting on his desk.  I thought that I had hit the jackpot because there were several multicoloured 100's a couple 50's and 20's as well as a $1000 bill.
 I asked him nicely if I could exchange for them...his response was simply "No, they're out of circulation."   I told him that in the recent  past, I was in that very same branch and had obtained some of the same notes. I asked (very politely) if I could ask the manager (who was standing right there) and the teller suddenly became rude and stand-offish and replied "I already told you that they were out of circulation!"

Has anyone else had such an experience?

Dean.

  

oddly enough i've had the opposite response. At my bank the tellers will often set aside old notes (for instance multi colored 50's and 100's up to UNC 1998 hundreds) they also tell me when they get new bundles of bills in, but then again these tellers have known me since I was 8 years old. Whereas when i go to other banks with questions like....do you have any thousand dolllar bills...i get strangle looks and a bunch of no's......therefore the conclusion is get to know your bank tellers

"I already told you that they were out of circulation!"

Well, that was rather rude!

Just tell the manager that you hold lots of shares of Royal Bank stock and that ought to influence their minds.  

As a former Sr. Teller at TD Bank during my years back, I would be more than glad to get rid of those notes and take them off my blotter and drawer.  You must have gotten him during a bad day.  Try Fridays, too!  Or better yet, get a nice looking female to politely ask.  

While picking up a roll of the new loonies yesterday I was talking to a cute, young teller and she mentioned that earlier a fellow just dropped off a few hundred 1&2s, she was quite willing to get them for me. Because a don’t have an account with them I could only get $50 worth, but when I went back a few hours latter with the thought of getting more, the cutie was gone and all I got was "No they are not circulating"  

I am more prone to agree with Dean.  
I bank at a Canada Trust where almost all the staff know me and are very curteous, yet often sticky about helping me out when it comes to supplying any denomination for my inspection.  I happen to have a lot of money invested there so I would expect more from them.

This past week, I asked a teller for 1000.00 worth of $10.00 bills and she said they didn't have enough.   So I asked if it would be okay to pick up  a $10000 brick or 10 bundles of $10.00 for the next day (or later).  Since I'm accustomed to getting the "Run around" about their stock of bills...I repeated a couple of times...asking if she was sure that this order could be met and she said "yes, what time did I want to pick them up?"

So the next day I came to pick them up, and got a manager who was all flushed and apologetic.  She said they didn't have the $10 and no $20's and finally submitted to a giving me a stack of $50 and $100's (which proved to be as common as grass  So I asked the same assistant manager if she could have the $10 ready by Saturday (as this money is covering a cheque and won't be at my  disposal for long) and she said "no how about Tuesday?)

  I wish I could report that this is the exception rather than the rule.  I make it a point to be exceptionally curteous, flexible, and polite in the presence of all these tellers (who are usually quite nice) but I often get wise cracks from male tellers, heavy sighs from managers, and the like who just seem to busy and annoyed by any of my requests.  And I make it a habit not to go in there more than twice a month for any of these requests....  Yet if its discussing an RSP or line of Credit out come the cheese and crackers!

So that's my 2 cents.
Olly.. you say you get great service at your bank....where to you bank?

James

Hi James, I actually work at the front lines of TD Canada Trust.  Before I started there, I asked a few times and also got the same type of "no" answer.  Having been working there now, and in the cage as well, I know abit more about the system they have.  There is just a few things I would like to mention:

It does happen sometimes that there is simply not enough money in the machines to give out 100 tens (Because people don't generally use tens)..  Your best bet is to come in the morning, and again it depends on what kind of day it is. It is a payday, or a Gov't cheq day, they will be going through alot more cash and may have less in the machines at the end of the day.  It is not a "runaround" I would argue, but rather them managing their supply.  If you give advance notice (enough time for another order to come in) I am sure it is no problem.  Orders like that happens all the time.  One day is not enough for an order to be taken and then delivered. It physically takes longer than that.   I believe ther was a member here on this forum that even ordered a brick of $50s and $100s from a TDCT and was able to do it- but they were ordered in, and not on a drop in.  The key is enough advance notice that an order can be placed and delivered, just like any place you would order bricks from.  And brick ordering itself is a branch to branch policy at any of the banks.
For a manager to say "no how about Tuesday?" it would make sense that you were in on a Thursday evening or Friday. (Seems logical with the timing I think).

As far as the ease of getting the bundles, if you come in "the day of" it is very time consuming and will use up 2 to 3 bodies(taking away from the teller line).  However, if you come in or phone in and say "I would like a bundle of new $5s for tomorrow" (Provided that they have a new bundle), they can get it ready for you in the morning without taking away tellers from the front when the bank is open.  That way when you come in, it is in and out no problem.  I know TD is not the only bank that has it set up like this.  And as long as they have a new bundle(s), I would suspect that things should be fine - at least this is what I have seen before.

I am sure it will work out.  But yes, if you were to go to a number of different banks you would get the same answer in many cases.  
Good luck James, I know what it is like to be a collector and being told "no" when it just doesn't make sense.  (I have been bugging the banks since I was 11 )


Regards,
Hudson

Thanks Hudson

I do understand the banks' need for a 2 to 3 day warning.  Your explanation makes it all the more clear.

By the way... I've seen that you collect "rotators"  Could you explain what kind of serial number is that...

thanks again,

James

You can read all about rotator notes on my website by clicking the following link:
http://www.bwjm.ca/pub_rotators.asp

For the visual learners among us, I have also included some pretty pictures!

  Muchos Gracias Snr Brent [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
Your explanation of rotators is very clear... I think I'm hooked which means more competition for those elusive notes!
Excellent website too  

Thanks again

James

Thank you for your kind words [smiley=happy.gif]

My rotators article was also recently featured in the CNA E-Bulletin email newsletter. This subject is quickly gaining notoriety.

Congratulations Brent on getting your paper published!

That is an admirable accomplishment.  No wonder your a moderator on this Forum.

I would doubt that I'm the only one in welcoming interesting research that enriches the field of collecting paper money.  I've been watching the paper money forum for a number of years before actually putting a "few cents in the pot."   I have learned a great deal from the moderators such as yourself, "Sudzee," Gary T, Hudson, eyevet and others. Sometimes I find the input rather "intense" but I finally decided to stick my neck into the fray.  

I'm fascinated by the way people collect (organize their notes), what they seek, the pricing process, and the printing process.

My distant (several times great) grandfather was Robert Baldwin who (as Lt. Governor of Upper Canada- Ontario) conspired with Lafontaine (Lt Gov of Lower Canada or Quebec) to establish an independent Canada pre-1867 era - so I'm naturally interested in notes from a historical perspective as well.  Anything Canadiana interests me (present politics excluded!)  

I try to have a "cross-the-board" collection of asterisks, devil faces, errors (and sequential errors), scarce prefixes, and the like.  Sort of like your collection but less extensive.  I'm also interested in numbers (now rotators thanks to your paper!), and special numbers.  I think there's a lot more to be desired than what Charlton could possibly list (especially special serial #).  

For example, I have a FER2221333 which I would have paid a lot more than $12.00 for.  FEP 4000000 because its the first prefix issued for the new 2005, 3 consecutive ink stained 86 GPZ $5  as well as its normal numbered (9 mil) replacement.  I just picked up a 2003 BEL from Sudzee (thanks again Gary .  Although UNC is naturally desired...for me...its not a necessity.

I remember seeing a 1954 $1.00 roll over SN something like 1999999 2000001 and 2000002 but missed out on winning that bid!  They were so desirable because of their excellent condition.  Those are the unique sequential numbers I dream of owning, althought I'm not normally a big sequential fan (only if its rare or the numbers are special).  I'm also not fussy on specimens: only notes issued to the public.  That's the beauty of collecting.. how each person can have a unique method of collecting.

I really like the idea of rotators. The best note I can think of is my $10.00 BDI0028200.  I did not know they destroy the 0008000.

Didn't mean to ramble....

Went to the bank today, and as usual they were very helpful.  I'm not having the best luck in terms of supply, etc, but  I thnk they're getting used to my eccentricities.  More "dog ears" than you can shake a stick at...but that's not their fault!

Keep up the great input

James

Did you just acquire the FER 2221333? Because I just spent that exact note either yesterday, or half an hour ago. It may not have been FER, but all week I've been debating on whether I should keep it or not, and decided not to due to its condition. If only you posted yesterday.


I just triple checked everywhere, and I definitely spent it, sorry.

FER 2221333 I acquired it on eBay and its UNC.  I just acquired a number of replacements with the same prefix so it just made sense to get it.

Everybody here has different likes and I just thought it was too cool a number to pass up.  Surprised I won it for such a low bid!

Thanks for the thought (I'm sure it was a different prefix) ... it would have been a nice pair...

I noticed your posts about the BEY (nice find): you sure do have access to a lot of good notes  :exclamation

I just found 2 with tiny irregular clouds of ink dots on the veterans leg... in 2193691 FP81 /BP66 and 2097603 FP99 and BP99 so its quite possible as you suggested earlier (with runs of missing notes) that there were big printing problems with this prefix. As soon as I find out how to post the scan I'll do it if you're interested in seeing them...

James