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How much my canadian banknote is worth?

By Lightw4re | Tuesday, January 7, 2020

How much my canadian banknote is worth?

This simple guide will help to determine the value of any Bank of Canada banknote. First, there are several factors that influence the value of any canadian banknote.

Factors that affect value

Supply and demand

How much sellers want for a banknote versus how much buyers want to pay for it. Looking at auction prices realized is the key indicator to find the most up-to-date equilibrium price of a canadian banknote.

Grade

The condition of the banknote. If it looks like brand new, higher the grade is. If it shows folding marks, tears, perforations, dirt, drawings or if there is no firmness or the fibers are worn, lower the grade is. The grade is determined, like coins, from a scale from 1 to 70. More information on canadian banknotes grading. There are some third party grading companies who can grade and authenticate (certification services) banknotes for about 10 dollars (and more!) each.

Rarity

How many of a particular banknote (or a particular combination of year, denomination and prefix) was produced or is currently known. You can find out how many banknotes were printed (or are currently known in some cases) in the serial number database.

Special serial number

Some serial numbers are considered special and they worth more. Most of the canadian banknotes serial numbers are 7 digits. Here's a few examples of special serial numbers: Million (7000000), Solid (7777777), Binary (0110001),...

Errors and varieties

During the production process of a banknote, unintentional mistakes can happen. When these mistakes are put into circulation, it usually increases the value.

Find the value by denomination and prefix/serial number

On the Bank of Canada banknotes price guide and values, you can choose the denomination of a particular banknote and then enter the prefix and the serial number. The search engine will detect if the banknote contains a special serial number or if the banknote was previously certified and sold in an auction. It will also list the value of the banknote for most grades.

The search engine is currently limited to 1935 to 2002 Bank of Canada banknotes. If there is an asterisks "*" before the prefix of a particular banknote, it needs to be typed too in the Prefix field. Here's an example:

Find the value by serie and denomination

On the Bank of Canada banknotes price guide and values, you can click on any serie listed to find more information and all denominations of that serie. Then, each denomination can be clicked to list all major values for each signature combination. If the prefix or range of serial numbers of a banknote isn't listed, it usually means that this banknote isn't rare or a replacement, a test note, part of a short run... If it is the case, the first row or line of the table indicates the value of that banknote.

For each serie and denomination, there is a direct link to find out latest auction prices realized where you can see how much to expect when selling a canadian banknote.

Books or catalogues

If you want to have more than one source of information on canadian banknotes, some publications also list values. Most of them can be found here. Here's a short list:

  • Charlton Canadian Government Paper Money
  • Stanley Canadian Circulating Coins, Tokens, Paper Money
  • Coins and Canada by Haxby
  • ...

Ask a collector or a dealer

Collectors on the discussions board will help you to give you a second or third opinion on the grade or value of your banknote if needed! You can also ask your local coin dealer.

Related numismatic tools, articles and links

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