Nova Scotia Buzz
If you have a stash of Canadian Tire money you may want to check it because there are bills that are in circulation that are worth a lot of money.
Believe it or not, there are people that collect Canada’s second currency that features the face of Sandy McTire.
Maybe you wished your grandparents had given you Canadian currency instead of Canadian Tire money, but now is the time to go through the stash you’ve been saving.
MacLean’s Magazine published an article about a Quebec man who came across a $2 bill from 1980 while paying at Canadian Tire. The serial number on the bill was printed differently than the others, the digits were closer together. He saved it and sold the bill at auction for $3,000!
Some 50 cent notes issued in 1958 are now worth upwards of $1,500.
How can you determine the value of your collection? You can search for what big time collectors look for. The older the bill, the more it could be worth. Some bills feature one-of-a-kind anomalies, mismatched serial numbers and slight changes to Sandy McTire’s face. The highest and lowest serial numbers can also be worth more.
Muriel Billes was the wife of Canadian Tire’s co-founder A.J. Billes. She came up with the idea for Canadian Tire money when the company opened its first gas bar in 1958. Billes proposed rather than advertise low gas prices, they should get customers to return and buy products from the store. First they were called coupons then the company started calling it Canadian Tire money.
Canadian Tire money is Canada’s oldest customer loyalty program, but it’s existence may be in jeopardy which could make your collection worth even more! Some Canadian Tire locations are currently not accepting the money due to the pandemic. The retailor also has it’s new Triangle Rewards program in which you collect digital points on a collectors card. One thing seems for certain, Canadian Tire money won’t be around for ever.
If you want to take your passion for Canada’s second currency to the next level, you can join the Canadian Tire Collector’s Club. They had a meeting scheduled to be held in Halifax this past September, but it was cancelled due to the pandemic.
