© Bank of Canada - used with permission

1991 Birds $20 Note - Severe Cutting Error

Few mechanical processes are perfect, and the printing process evidently is not one of them. One example of how things can go wrong is in the stage where large sheets of banknotes are cut into the individual notes we use every day.

© Bank of Canada - used with permission

This particular sheet of 1991 $20s was severely mis-aligned during the cutting stage. When the blades came down slicing the stack of sheets, this particular sheet got cut well off from where it should have been.

For whatever reason, this sheet went unnoticed and was released into circulation. Judging by the condition of the note, it was obviously saved before it was dispensed from an ATM or from a teller. Error notes can often command high prices, especially as they get more and more dramatic like this one. The above note is perhaps valued at upwards of $450.

Contributor: Copperpete

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