Canadian Banknote Serial Numbers And Production Figures. Has This Mystery Been Solved?

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Author	Replies: 11 / Views: 265
lahave56 Valued Member Canada 194 Posts	Posted 08/05/2026 6:15 pm I must not have the right reference or my googling skills have gone awry. I can't seem to find a reference for deciphering Canadian banknote serial numbers or finding any production figures as you might find on the Bureau of Engraving and Printing web site for recent US banknotes. I've found out a little about the distribution process and the production process but it's pretty high level. I've been to the coinsandcanada.com site and they have some very useful information in the banknotes section but not what I was hoping to find. Appreciate any info on the topic. Report this Post to the Staff

DBM Pillar of the Community Canada 9883 Posts	Posted 08/05/2026 6:58 pm Do you have the latest edition of Charlton's. You can't collect recent Canadian banknotes without one. "Dipping" is not considered cleaning... -from PCGS website Report this Post to the Staff
lahave56 Valued Member Canada 194 Posts	Posted 08/05/2026 7:16 pm @DBM I do not. I have a few Canadian notes but am just trying to get educated. Thanks Report this Post to the Staff
JimmyD Bedrock of the Community Canada 21741 Posts	Posted 08/05/2026 7:51 pm Even an older edition will fo unless you are interested in modern currency. As DBM stated, it is a must for Canadian banknotes. Everything you are asking is in there. Report this Post to the Staff
lahave56 Valued Member Canada 194 Posts	Posted 08/05/2026 8:04 pm Thanks @JimmyD perhaps I can find something on ebay. Obviously the more recent the edition the more recent the production figures. I wonder where Charlton gets their information. It would have to be the government or the Canadian Banknote Company I guess. Is information on what's provided available anywhere? Report this Post to the Staff
JimmyD Bedrock of the Community Canada 21741 Posts	Posted Yesterday 09:39 am If you can't find anything on ebay, check Amazon, they sell second hand coin books. Also most coin shops sell coin books as well. If you have a particular bill you want info on, post a photo of both sides on a new posting. There will be someone here who can help you. Edited by JimmyD Yesterday 09:42 am Report this Post to the Staff
lahave56 Valued Member Canada 194 Posts	Posted Yesterday 09:58 am @JimmyD thanks I found the 4th edition online at internet archive. Report this Post to the Staff
DBM Pillar of the Community Canada 9883 Posts	Posted Today 12H 26M ago 4th edition is almost 40 years old, a lot of information has been changed or added since then. If there is anything specific you want to know just ask here on this forum. "Dipping" is not considered cleaning... -from PCGS website Report this Post to the Staff
lahave56 Valued Member Canada 194 Posts	Posted Today 6H 40M ago Quote: 4th edition is almost 40 years old, a lot of information has been changed @DBM As I was perusing the 4th edition that became evident. I did another search and came up with the 27th edition (2015) on the same site. I'll look this edition over and sing out if I still have questions. I also discovered that the banknotes section of the coinsandcanada.com site does have production numbers if you drill down far enough. My main interest is just to learn about the information on the banknotes themselves and some aspects of the production process. For example, the evolution and significance of different serial number formats for Bank of Canada notes and maybe something about the printing process like plate formats and relative note placement during production. I would also like to understand where face/back plate numbers fit into the production process and whether some plate number combinations are more rare than others. There's lots more about errors and varieties to learn as well and how they come to be. I expect there are similarities with US banknotes since printing money is printing money. To be honest one of the aspects of this hobby that I enjoy is the learning and it seems like there's lots of room for that. Report this Post to the Staff
walk2dwater Pillar of the Community Canada 2594 Posts	Posted Today 3H 15M ago Quote: @DBM As I was perusing the 4th edition that became evident. I did another search and came up with the 27th edition (2015) on the same site. I'll look this edition over and sing out if I still have questions. to the hobby! I always recommend to anyone who may be interested, to check out their local library branch (Reference section) to borrow a copy. That's where I discovered the latest Charlton catalogue & photocopied several tables/reference pages about 30 years ago. A "used copy" would do but I would not go further back than the 2019 31st ed. Here's what this catalogue looks like on the ebay (featuring the 2017 TEN): https://www.ebay.ca/itm/28744482187...=&plcampt=0:159408509010&lsid=2 That 31st issue got a total overhaul when Steve Bell (from BCS Banknote Certification Serices) took over but it has essentially stayed very similar in the past 6 editions (despite quite a dramatic spike in banknote interest during the pandemic). I bought the 2025 edition & it was almost exactly the same to the 31sted. The BoC has remained steady/consistent since 1937 except that they switched to polymer around 2011. Their first 1935 series was very odd since they had two separate unilingual (French or English) issues & it was very short lived once King George V died. They're all hard to find in decent condition & all pretty much demand stiff premiums (esp in original condition). From 1937 onward, the denominations/series have been bilingual & 10,000,000 per prefix. A lot of collectors seek the signature change-over prefixes & short prefixes. Many of the short prefixes are sometimes the last prefix, & that I cover on my 1935 BoC page: https://sites.google.com/view/notap...nk-of-canada & on this CCF thread: https://goccf.com/t/387364#3562128 & for today's series signature change-overs. I also posted some of my collection here: https://goccf.com/t/450797 The hx & details behind each series is well covered in Charlton & well worth the read. Another excellent source of info comes from the Canadian Paper Money Forum (CPMF): https://cdnpapermoney.com/forum/ I highly recommend registering so you can access both their database & a section called The Notes which gives examples of scarce BoC, DoC (Dominion of Canada) & some of the older Charter/private banknots. Hope that gets you started https://sites.google.com/view/notap...ng-banknotes Report this Post to the Staff
walk2dwater Pillar of the Community Canada 2594 Posts	Posted Today 2H 57M ago Quote: I would also like to understand where face/back plate numbers fit into the production process and whether some plate number combinations are more rare than others. There's lots more about errors and varieties to learn as well and how they come to be. I expect there are similarities with US banknotes since printing money is printing money. Some of the info on face/back plate numbers is in the Charlton (better charts than you will find anywhere else) but the info has always been limited by the leaks/sources (or the bits/pieces of how the info came to light). Most often the majority of info (like BPN) & some info on banknote production was guarded/kept confidential until a series had been over for a couple decades. Charlton, & the CPMF site I recommended above, can both give you hours of reading. Re Errors: Charlton has a great section on Errors. How some of each are created will often be on forums too & Coins&Canada (as I'm sure you discovered). And you may find this BoC Museum site interesting: https://www.bankofcanadamuseum.ca/ for more general info on the banknote series, etc. Since the banknote substrates were changed to polymer 15 years ago, & the scale of production is minute (in comparison to the US system), the printing process would likely be much different than what you'd find at the BEP (which has been locked in with Crane/producing paper notes). https://sites.google.com/view/notap...ng-banknotes Report this Post to the Staff
lahave56 Valued Member Canada 194 Posts	Posted Today 55M ago @walk2dwater thanks for the generous response. I'm not as mobile as I used to be so I called my local library and they are going to see if they can find a copy I can borrow. In the meantime all of the links and suggestions you've provided will give me plenty to keep me busy. I appreciate your taking the time to respond as you have. Cheers! Report this Post to the Staff
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