A Fortunate Mistake?

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I just returned from a tour bus trip.  The trip originated in Western New York and went to Windsor where we stayed at the Hotel/Casino.  We were informed beforehand that the Casino would exchange our American money once we were there, but our tour directors suggested we bring along a little Canadian currency as we would be stopping along way for lunch.  So, I trudged over to my local bank to see if they had any on hand.  We are not too far from the border, so I didn't think this would be a problem.  The teller said that if I wanted a large amount, they would have to order it as they are too small a branch to keep any on a day to day basis.  Since I just wanted to exchange a small amount (app. $20 for our lunch stop) she was able to help me as she had just taken in a few bills from someone who wanted to exchange them.  I was given several $5's, $2's and $1's, which I thought was unusual as I know that Canadian currency consists of coins for 1's and 2's.  

The next day, at our brunch stop at yummy Tim Horton's, I smugly whipped out my Canadian money to pay for our lunch.  My smugness turned to dismay and slight mortification as the workers (2 very young girls) began to ooh and ahh over the $2 bills I used.  They were in awe as they had never seen any before, and asked me if I had taken them out of my vault and dusted them off to use them!  Right then and there, I stashed the rest of the currency my bank gave me into my wallet, resolving not to use any more of it and save myself from embarrassment.

I didn't realize that this money may be unusual, till I got home and googled it and your site came up.  Perhaps you could help me solve the mystery of my apparently odd money?

Here is a list of the remainder........

1)  A $1 bill, Bank of Canada, serial # AFK1721380.  The back has a picture of boats, and there seems to be logs floating in the water. It is dated Ottawa 1973

2) Three $2 bills.  The first is dated 1974, serial# ABV2183826.  The second one is also dated 1974, serial # ABY9384530.  They have a picture of men getting into small boats.  The third one is dated 1986, serial # BBE2440436, with a picture of robins.

3) A $5 bill, serial number GOW3846512, dated 1986.  It also has a bird picture, I think it is a martin?

Do you think these bills came from a collection?  Are they worth more than their face value?  I would appreciate any info on these that you could give me.

Thanks so much, and I am enjoying your site.

The notes you mentioned are worth face value in circulated condition. In perfect condition there would be a small premium, but not much as they are fairly common. Though you may have not hit the lottery the notes still have the ooh and ahh factor.

Hope this helps.

The bird on the 1986 $5 is a King Fisher. I've done that before as well. It's fun to see reactions on younger people's faces when they are given $1's and $2's for payment.


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Very interesting story, Mary.

What happens alot of times is that smaller US banks that end up with a bit of Canadian Currency here or there, just let it accumulate.  Sometimes it could be for many years. I had a friend come up from California, and he picked up some 1954 series notes that had been resting in peace in the back of a bank vault for ages.  Similarly, many Canadian Banks/Credit Unions I have heard about do not ship US money, if they are a very very low volume branch.  It may be there for years.

You hit a stroke of luck, and instead of embarrassment, think of it as a mini-history lesson for the recievers.  You might have made them curious to learn, and you know that it is something that they will tell their friends about.  I know it can be a little strange at the till when you are trying to pay, and they have to call a manager to see if they accept the old money (yes it has happened to most of us ), but really it is exciting to give people a nice suprise like that every once in a while.  

I do it all the time, whenever I have notes like that on hand.  If you want more like that, all you have to do is ask at the bank.  Sometimes they get them in, and after they accumulate, they ship them to be destroyed.  Most US banks do not have that option, so they just keep them.

Welcome to the site, and thank you for sharing that very nice story.

Hudson