Asking the bank

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I was at a site linked off of the official bank of canada website. It said you can ask to get old bills off local banks... Are you allowed to ask the bank if they have any old series bills, And if your allowed to swap them? Has anyone tried this?

I do it all the time. In fact, several local banks in my area will call me if they get anything in.

I started swapping bills with the bank when I was about 10 years old.  Old notes usually get set aside for mutilation, so they are already set aside which is nice.  By all means, go to you local banks, and ask if they have anything interesting.  Be polite, and respectful of their time (ie: do your best to never hold back a lineup).

Once they get to know you,, and depending on the actual type of teller you are dealing with, they may call you when stuff comes in.  It is about establishing rapport, and maintaining it too.

Good luck in your hunts.
Hudson

Banks have been quite helpless to me in the past. When the bank had some $1,000 notes, they refused to let me have any of them. Heck, even when they had some nice 1954 notes, they refused to let me have them, on the grounds that they were to be sent for mutilation.

Banks are getting less helpful because of those machines they walk up to get the cash from. Their drawers have very little, if any money in them nowadays.