Just picked up another E II R note

Please excuse the bad hair day😉

That is a Canadian ‘Devil’s Head' 100 Dollars - & it is quite a scarce note, especially in higher grades.

Aidan.

nice. very nice.

BCNumismatics

That is a Canadian ‘Devil’s Head' 100 Dollars - & it is quite a scarce note, especially in higher grades.

 

Aidan.

True, but this note is only a VF.

The 1 Dollar is THE commonest one for the ‘Devil’s Head' notes.

Aidan.

I love this entire series of notes…

A nice note, and a decent example. I like that series of Canada.

I have got a 1 Dollar from the ‘Devil’s Head' series.

Aidan.

Nice note!

Nice note. Tough denomination. Glad some have survived.

The $100 Devil's Face is one of the easiest notes of this early 1954 series to find.  The reason? Because the majority of middle-class Canadians were in the habit of stashing hundred dollar notes in their safety deposit boxes (SDB's) & because over 2,500,000 were issued and many were kept (or hoarded) despite BoC's efforts to recall them.  Fifties, unlike the $100, were actively culled from circulation (by tellers who were directed to recall them) & many of the lower denominations can be tough (like signature change-overs for the $2, $5, $10 & $20 notes).  The toughest versions of Devil Face notes were the * asterisk replacements- which have been scarce & seldom come up for auction. They're nearly impossible to find in better grades.  

As far as “tough denominations” go: that prize would go to the $1000 note which was released in trickles (& only 30,000 printed as these were in low demand for the 2 years the DF's came out).  The 2nd toughest denomination was the $50 as it was culled like the lower denominations ($1 to $20).  The only real tough DF's are the higher grades & the signature change-overs but it is the series popularity which far outweighs what comes to market. This world demand really drives the prices of these notes far beyond what most Canadians would expect considering many millions were released for the first 2 years of the series.  (For example, there are many tougher Modified notes which sell for much lower prices than the DF's).

Anyway, I don't mean to detract from the nice $100 note @Steve27 posted.  There is something more striking about the original 1954 Devil Face series that the Modified series just seems to lack. The early 1954 Modified series were darker hues and a little more attractive than the later Modified series as there was less ink used in the later series too.  

The 1,000 Dollars are very scarce for all types, considering they were pulled from circulation in 2000 at the request of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, due to concerns that the 1,000 Dollars was being used for illegal activities.

This is the same reason why 500 Euro notes are no longer in use in the Eurozone, & 10,000 Dollars are no longer being issued in Singapore & Brunei.

Aidan.

Interesting discussion.

My impression, from surfing online sales and auctions over the past 4 or 5 years, is that the $10 and $20 Devil's Face, whether Coyne / Towers or Beattie / Coyne, are more common than the lower denominations, even the $1. But as I say, this is just an impression, yet I'll add that I have only two DF notes in the $1-$2 range but four in the $10-$50 range.

It's true that the $1000 was used for illegal activities. And now there is no real need for it given that we do almost all big transactions by bank transfers. I used a $1000 ("bird" series) only once, in 1994.

Following what Serial_Number_8 says about safety deposit boxes, it's interesting that online transactions have reached record numbers with COVID and thereafter, yet there is more cash in circulation than ever before, at least here in Canada. While this seems contradictory, the reason is that people are uncertain about the future more than ever before, which means that they keep more cash at home, just in case…

Devil's Face notes aren't that uncommon.  Although tellers were encouraged to recall them, the ONES had over 180M issued, the TWOS had over 87M, the FIVES over 88M, TENS over 96M & the TWENTIES over 41M in the 2 years they were issued.  They were very easy to come by in circulated condition & I used to see them all the time when I went to shows. They only get tough to find in UNC EPQ (or “Original” Choice or Gems) since so many people used to press their notes back in the day. I have never actively sought them, except when I picked up this $20 as a teen at a Sears coins shop, because they were always easy to come by at shows or LCS.  My older brother got all his from circulation.

I like to talk about the DF series b/c it illustrates the principle that 3 factors determine a note's Book Value (BV). These are a) toughness/scarcity, b) grade/condition & c) demand.  For the Devil Face series world demand far outstrips their supply & so their price always remains lofty (esp considering how common they are).  It is probably the most in-demand issue with the 1935 (2nd) & 1937's (3rd). 

Just to further illustrate this principle, the lowest issue is always the $1000 yet the demand is extremely tepid for this denomination. The only exception to this rule is the Devil's Face, 1937 & 35's (though all 35 denominations are in high demand & rightfully so).