The bigger surprise was that it was given to me as a payment in... a coin shop ! (I was selling a gold coin for a family member and received a few dozens of bill - they clearly didn't check).
This doesn't surprise me b/c when I went to shows I often used my "sort-of" collectible notes to pay for better notes at many shows I attended. I even got older series notes as change myself. Sometimes the dealer put my notes aside but often they just put them in their till & used them as change.
These days, I can imagine this phenomenon (using circulated finds) as change to become even more prevalent as Canadians pivot to digital payments & use far less cash. I know it must seem a bit crazy (it seems crazy/odd even as I write this) but the younger generation want nothing to do with cash so cash use has literally become a thing of the past (like it or not).
Cash use will remain unpopular & will continue to be squeezed out (as an option for retail payments) since few people demand it. There's absolutely no lobby group/nor any resistance to the many commercial businesses, the
BTCA & Canadian government services which have ridden on the wave that continues to transform Canadian society into a cashless, "big-brother" society.
So, if you're going to a coin show, it may be wise to try to pay for your new acquisition with cash since you might actually get a collectors stash of notes/coins (he/she used to pay for his/her upgrade or what they used to buy a coin/banknote).
Nice 2 digit radar BTW
