Sometime around 1974:

As a young collector, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I was "flying blind" without a catalogue. My brother had an amazing coin collection with a lot of help from our grandpa Harry. The number of silver 50 Cent pieces & Dollars with queens and kings I had never seen made me soon realize that there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to match having coins like he had. I had to turn my attention to something else and banknotes fit that bill. I actually found keeping a Dollar or TWO was very difficult from the bit a change I made delivering newspapers! It wasn't until I was 16, and working part time at an Esso carwash, that I was exposed to large quantities of cash. I discovered asterisk in front of some of the serial numbers! I was also surprised to see the revised versions of the FIVE & TWENTY by 1979.  I managed to find most of the Modified 1954 denominations ($20 & lower) so that was my first "signature set."  

Late 1980's

I found one of the earlier editions of Charlton Government Paper money in the Reference section of our library so I had to photocopy the pages with my signature sets. I had to try "to make heads and tails" out of this fascinating guide with its population reports & pricing tables.  This became my "banknote bible" but most of the data was over my head.   I could see that the 1935 series was replaced by the 1937 series only 2 years later.  It was obviously TOUGH! However, I could not afford this monolingual series & had to settle for our newest series (in the best condition). 

2001-2005:

My father had passed away and we had a gigantic garage sale in 2001.  While counting my new wad of cash, I noticed that the early Journey Series $10 notes were rags & not holding up well to circulation. I had nearly forgotten my banknote album but this quirky series got me right back into the driver's seat! I went out and bought myself a new Charlton guide & poured over it from front to back. I had found additional production information about the BIRDS series (which I had almost entirely ignored) & started understanding the prefix charts. After going over what was a replacement, a change-over, a Special # (& so on) I discovered there were tough prefixes as opposed to regular prefixes. I also started to learn more about the various Grade levels & that the printers for the Journey's employed a different paper-cotton blend (substrate).  This new info prompted me to probe deeper.  I used the Internet (the Canadian Paper Money Forum) to find out if there were upcoming numismatic shows. I started to go to these and networked with fellow collectors. I began buying (& swapping) early Journey tough prefixes (the 1st series to include a date imprinted on the reverse). These were heady days of mining eBay & completing some modern sets! I sold off most of my signature sets to upgrade & acquire tough change-overs/replacements. I was done with regular prefixes.  But, I had my work cut out for me to fill the Devil's Face gaps!

About 2013 to 2015:

Having been to a number of coin shows & having met some veteran collectors, I got exposed to a GEM set of Devil Face replacements graded by PMG. When I first heard about Third Party Graders (TPG's like PMG or PCGS), I was firmly against the trend to certify.  However, my resolve dissolved after buying a few "lemon" (or pressed) notes. I realized that a graded Choice uncirculated certification provided some assurance that it was indeed an original example! By the time I finally had enough money to start buying a 1935 set, BCS (Banknote Certification Services) arrived on the scene.  Some of my 1935 notes were pressed (or lacked eye appeal): I had to upgrade my 35' series set! So I figured the only way to get original notes was to buy TPG* examples. My only limitations were my budget & selecting TPG* (VF to AU EPQ or "Original") examples with enough eye appeal I would never have "buyer's remorse." I wasn't against finding an UNC example but more against the pricing.

All the 1935 series were tough to obtained so no T's (nor E's) will be added to the images below. The most troubling aspect of acquiring high grade examples was the number of US sellers listing them in USD (a 30% increase in Book Value). Once I found a Canadian seller, I bought both the $2.00 and the $5.00 (PMG AU55 EPQ & EF40 EPQ) in one combined sale. Fortunately, I found the French $1.00 from a Canadian seller & he accepted my offer.  My TWENTY DOLLAR note would be the biggest challenge since it was the most expensive note of the set. I was lucky to find an Albertan store but he charged tax.  I immediately contacted him once I saw his VF35 EPQ example. I was very relieved when we worked out a price & he accepted as it shows like an EF. The English FIVE is the only note I bought ungraded from a US seller on eBay. I was very happy to win it (auction style) because I could see it was "cut off-size" (slightly) yet not labelled so. I just recently submitted it to BCS and it received an EF40 (Original) grade! The last note to be added was the English TEN which I won from Colonial Acres Auction this past May. It did not come cheap (with the Buyer's Premium) but it was less than their estimate & the TENS are far tougher than our Charlton catalogue acknowledges: BONUS! 

*TPG (Third Party Graded: I wanted this set to be certified by PMG, BCS or other TPG to ensure I was getting original UNC notes rather than processed)

Conclusions:

• Research There was no need to research the 1935 series as it has always been considered the toughest Bank of Canada series (full stop).  It wasn't a matter of buying UNC examples b/c most UNC examples were simply beyond my budget (although I once wanted an UNC English ONE Dollar note).  At the start of my search the uncirculated ONE Dollar booked at $500 CAD but every single example I saw were sold by US sellers asking for $550 USD (plus). Looking back, I kick myself that I didn't snap one up (that I would eventually pick a better priced example). The following year the lowest priced ENGLISH ONE DOLLAR note was listed for $700 USD. Again, I felt this was too much & passed on the available notes. It wasn't long before the BV caught up with the large majority of US sellers & they acknowledged that the UNC variety was $900- $1000 CAD. By this time, I had my French version & the quest for an overpriced English version died. I say "overpriced" simply because when you compare an English ONE DOLLAR to any of the higher denominations, they're fairly plentiful & the higher denominations never increased in BV as rapidly as this ONE DOLLAR did. I also found the English TWO to be plentiful (in comparison to the FIVE, TEN & TWENTY). 

• With 50-60% of this series pressed (or processed), do yourself a favour, & purchase an ORIGINAL, EPQ or any "Q" note if you can find one!

• Go for the highest grade you can afford (try to buy during a rocky stock market or when global trade wars have erupted due to tariffs). When discretionary spending is down: this is the time to buy!

• Set some LIMITS (my restrictions were only certified Q examples).  No specimens (or strictly regular issued series) would make up my 1935 set. I wouldn't recommend taking one's sweet time to buy a popular series like these! Act decisively! I settled for a Legacy TPG $10 after waiting many years for a PMG example (while prices kept creeping up).  

My collector radar was set for:

• Original & nicely centred notes:  My priority was to acquire notes which had great eye appeal in the highest grade I could afford. I also wanted notes that had well-centred designs. I was tired of picking up wonky crooked, poorly produced examples! This was a bit challenging since the BoC printers produced a lot of poorly centred (skewed designed) notes! I think that was one of the reasons I snapped up that "Cut-off Size" FIVE, just to show people what I was up against!

• TPG preservation (all examples are PMG, BCS or Legacy graded & in sealed TPG holders for future preservation). I also strongly feel that certification will add to the liquidity of this set (they won't be difficult to sell, even during rocky global trade wars!)

• Combined Sales Two notes were bought from the same seller for a reduced price (the French $5 + the English $2 with combined shipping). I did everything in my power to reduce/offset my costs (including selling other notes, like my circulated examples).

• No processed or damaged notes!

Remember to:

• Buy when the market is soft (rather than frothy) but keep in mind that much poorer graded/examples may be offered.  You may have to look at a lot of "sad dogs" before you find your "prized puppy!" Consider what is a fair price & stick to your goals.  A year ago, I contacted a seller through a forum. He wanted $1000 for a PCGS English ONE that was UNC 64 PPQ & in a PCGS unsealed holder. The design looked slightly askew (more like an UNC 63) & I turned him down since I knew (from his comments) that he wasn't going to negotiate. I stuck to my original goal b/c I could only offer him a 60 or 61 price. I also couldn't put the note in my binder (old PCGS holders are huge).  I stuck to my guns (& still prefer my BCS sealed French example to any English ONES I have seen).  Network & let collector friends know what you're after but don't be afraid to stick to your original goal (be careful not to deviate nor compromise too much)! 

August 2025:

It took me over 10 years to complete this TPG 1935 type set! I began by paying attention to True auction style offerings & Canadian Buy it Now (BIN) sales on eBay. Most Canadian BIN prices were far more realistic than the US BIN prices. I also had my sights on "Make an Offer" listings & submitted an offer which I thought was fair. This happened with my combined purchase of the English TWO & French FIVE. I believe I saved about $300-$500 on those 2 notes alone! I also may pick up an English ONE & a French TWO but they're certainly not a priority at the moment.

I will be adding more personal spotlights to sets I have acquired in upcoming months. In the meantime, enjoy my carousel of the more recent 1937 series!

Questions?

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at notaphilyc@gmail.com 

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