How Often Do You Find A Fancy Serial In Circulation?

I am not a bill searcher, but I do a quick glance at my change and have never noticed an obvious fancy serial.

Though I am not familiar with all the different varieties, which would help.

I have never found a collectible S/N in general circulation, though some interesting stars crossed my path in the '80s and '90s.

I look all that time. I have found some items (stars mainly) I put in a wild finds box, but they are conversation pieces. Nothing has crossed my path that would be considered fancy or have collector value.

Love that 100* note Steve. I am always hoping to get a small head note in change.

I don't pay much attention to currency that passes through my hands.
A star note will generally attract my attention.
But as for the numbers I've never had a collectible note.

True story: I did what you did and took out 100-1000 CDN $5 notes out from the bank in search of an APM (250K short prefix) and found 1 or 2 rags (& I mean the worst soiled ugly looking notes possible). I got so disgusted with my bad luck that I told my partner I was giving up the pursuit (which also included looking for a short BTV prefix from the tens). I stopped going to the banks (& annoying all the tellers) but then got a solid AAK8888888 $5 in Lotto change (I kid you not). By the time I found that a couple new prefixes emerged as the next tough find (& I searched & searched only to find a few more rags BUT not the one I was looking for 2011 HAE Macklem/Carney). By this time (2013) our new polymer notes came out and again I announced my retirement in the search (& then we understood a $20 BSW prefix was 250K short and I started the search again). I found that one 4 years later! So to answer your question- yes it is worth it- but you must turn off your expectations and be happy just to be in the "hunt" (if you find something "BONUS")

PS: if there's one good thing about this exercise (in what I call "recycling money at the bank" is A) that it makes me appreciate "statistics" (forget about luck/its the odds of finding something) and B) appreciate exactly how rare special/collectible serial numbers and short prefixes are..

I often check my folding money for interesting SNs, errors, stars, etc. Unfortunately, I've never found anything worth collecting.

At this point, the only thing I find worth keeping are the old, small portrait notes, and I only keep those for nostalgia - not value.

Good luck in your search!

walk2dwater, you put seven 8s as the serial number of your find. There are 8 numbers in a modern s/n. Do you mean you got a full solid 8s 88888888 $5, or 08888888, or what? If the former, wow.