I Met An Oldie Today.

 This afternoon I used the automated checkout at a local Dollarama.  Imagine my surprise when it gave me a paper 5 dollar bill in change.  This is the first paper Canadian bill I've seen since 2019.  On top of that it's a 2002 issue 5.  The last paper 5 issued in Canada was in 2006, which had security features added.  So this one could be more than 20 years old.  You have to wonder where this one has been hiding all these years,  as paper bills are removed from circulation by banks.  Will I ever receive another one?  Stay tuned.

I Wouldn't Put It There.

 One of the serial number prefixes on current issue Canadian 20 dollar bills is FIV.  You'd think they would have used that series for the 5 dollar bill.  Given how little the average person pays attention to such things it probably wouldn't have been a problem.

A Little More Paper.

Today was the day to redeem my beverage containers for the deposit money at SARCAN.  When I took my tally sheet to the payout window I got a surprise.  The clerk gave me a paper five dollar bill.  I haven't seen a paper bill in probably a year or more.  And this one is still very crisp.  I guess it must have sat in a safe someplace for some years.

Paper Surprise.

I got a nice surprise this afternoon.  I dropped into the Centre at Circle and 8th Dollarama to buy a couple of things.  I paid with a ten, and in return got back a 2006 series five dollar bill.  When I expressed surprise at this the clerk mentioned he'd seen recently seen a twenty from the previous series of bills.  The 2006 series were a slightly modified version of the 2002 series bills, incorporating a new holographic stripe on the front, and gold metallic "dashes" on the back, to deter counterfeiting.  They were the last Canadian fives printed on paper, being replaced by polymer bills in 2013.

Besides the surprise of it actually being a paper bill this late in the day the bill itself is in terrific condition for its age.  The paper is still very crisp, there's little creasing, and it's very clean.  This all makes me wonder where this thing has been all these years.  Has it been sitting in someone's personal stash?  Did it come out of the bottom of a cash drawer, or the safe of some business?  It's a reasonable guess it didn't come from a bank, since they're supposed to return any paper bills to the Bank of Canada for disposal.  There's no way to find out of course.

The Right One.

I entered my last bill of the year into Where's Willy this morning.  Appropriately it was a 2017 $10.  They were issued in 2017 as part of the commemoration of Canada's 150th birthday.  So far I've entered 27 bills from this series, and have 2 hits on them.

Even More Paper.

Last month I mentioned receiving a paper Canadian ten dollar bill.  To my pleased surprise I received yet another one this morning.  I wonder if someone had a bunch of them they'd kept in a drawer or something, and are now spending them in Saskatoon.  So if you're in Saskatoon you might want to keep your eyes open for them.  I've already spent this one, and I hope like the one I had last month it continues in circulation for a long time to come.

More Paper.

Back in October of 2016 I received a 5 dollar paper bill as part of my change.  I speculated at the time I might not see another paper Canadian bill again.  I was wrong, as I received a paper ten dollar bill in change today.  Somehow it's managed to stay in circulation years after it was decided to pull all Canadian paper currency.  Presumably it simply hasn't ended up in a bank in a long time, as banks will send old bills like this back to the Bank of Canada for destruction.  I know I won't be putting it in a bank, but instead will spend it to help it continue its journey.

My First.

In honour of Canada's 150th anniversary the Bank of Canada has released a new 10 dollar bill.  I received my first one today.  Not a bad design.  As with other current Canadian bills these are made of polymer, and contain several anti-counterfeit measures.  Hopefully I can get my hands a few more soon.

Speaking of Paper Bills....

I received a hit for a 2004 issue twenty on Where's Willy today.  Not only that but it was a re-hit on a bill that last received a hit in 2008.  I wonder what adventures that bill had over the last 8 years.

Still A Chance Of Paper.

The question "Paper or plastic?" refers to whether the person wants to pay with cash or a credit card.  In 21st Century Canada it's more properly "Plastic or plastic?" because all currently issued Canadian bills are made of polymer.  But a few of the old paper bills remain in circulation.  I got a five dollar bill yesterday as change.  It was from the last issue of paper fives in 2006, which had security features added to the 2001 design.  The first polymer fives were introduced in 2013, and quickly replaced the older paper bills.  But a few paper bills have escaped being sent back to the Bank of Canada for destruction, like the one I received.  It's the first one I've had in a while, and I suspect it will be a long time, if ever, before I see another one.

Hello, Calabogie, Ontario.

You're the site of my latest Where's Willy hit.  Living out west I'd never heard of Calabogie before.  This is also the ninth consecutive hit I've had that's been from a location outside of Saskatoon.  As you can probably imagine I'm most likely to see a bill get a hit in Saskatoon than outside it.  And this latest hit is hit 894, putting me a step closer to my 900th hit.

Localise,Please.

I was just looking at CKOM's  website, and they have an animated ad for saskatoojobshop.ca, an online job site.  "Free job postings are worth every cent!" it flashes, with the "are worth every cent!" bit accompanied by an image of a couple of pennies.  But whoops, not only are they pennies, which are no longer produced and circulated in Canada, they're American pennies.  If you're going to use obsolete money, at least use an image of obsolete Canadian money.

Finally, 700.

I've been waiting for this for a long time, and it's finally happened.  I've now had 700 of the bills I entered at Where's Willy get a hit.  And it actually travelled a good distance, to Calgary, instead of sitting around Saskatoon.  I reached the 600 bills hit plateau back in May of 2012.  Next on the agenda is getting to the 900 hits plateau, which will be a good ways away, as I currently have 843 hits overall.

Sleepy Survivor.

I found a Where's Willy? hit in my e-mail this morning, and it's a cool one.  It's a sleeper, as bills that haven't been active for a  long time are called, that has been re-entered some 7 years after I first entered it, and it hadn't been previously generated a hit.  On top of that it's a 2002 series five dollar bill.  There can't be many of those left in circulation at this point, and given the bill description I suspect this one may not be long for this world.

Most Appropriate.

I got a 2012 series 20 dollar bill out of an ATM today.  The prefix on the bill serial number is BIZ.  I can't think of a more appropriate bill prefix on money.

Bulk Dump.

Talk about easy.  I've barely gotten out of bed, haven't left the house, yet I've already entered 7 bills at Where's Willy.  I also entered them at my Canadian Money Tracker account, which I really only use these days if I run across a CMT marked bill.  They're all 2004 series $20s, which adds to the fun.  Hopefully they'll all get hits before they get pulled from circulation, as the intent is supposedly to replace older bills with the new polymer $20s as soon as possible.

The Right Tool.

As the Canadian penny passes into retirement I'll mention another reason I'll be sad to see it go.  Pennies make an excellent tool for scratching off scratch and win tickets.  I'm thinking I'll hold on to the handful I've got left for just that purpose.  But inevitably I'll lose them from my pocket, so I'll have to try something else eventually.

One Week To Retirement.

If you're a penny fan, and don't feel you have enough around, you'd better get collecting.  Monday, February 4 will see the retirement of the Canadian penny.  Banks will no longer give out pennies, and those that come into banks will be returned to the federal government for disposal.  Although they technically will still be legal tender I suspect most places won't take them. If they know that is,  Some reports claim many businesses aren't aware of the penny going away.  Consider this a head up if you didn't.

I'll miss the penny.  Throwing them in a tin to be rolled later is a good way to save a bit of money away.

If I Believed.

Today I found a dollar on the ground.  This happened just after I bought a one dollar scratch ticket that didn't win me anything.  When I got home I decided to play sit and go number six in my 100 Sit and Go Project.  I won $1.08.  If I believed in the idea of lucky things I might have given the coin the credit.

But I don't.

Oh No!

I just found one of the bills in my pocket has a serial number that ends in 666!  Whatever shall I do?

Spend it like I normally would.  Seroiusly, did you think there would be any other answer?  People who worry about the number 666 should stop being so paranoid.  Besides, I hear there's some dispute whether 666 is the correct number anyway.