7 Canadian Banknotes Worth Up To $75,000 That You Could Have In Your Wallet

You're usually the one slogging away every day so you can pay your bills, but, sometimes, it's your bills that can pay you. You may have a "Devil's Face" dollar, which made the queen look like she had a demon on her shoulder, that's worth a pretty penny stuffed away in a drawer.

Or perhaps you were saving the $1,000 bill your godfather gifted you, which was taken out of circulation in Canada because of its popularity in money laundering, per CBC, and might be worth a whole lot more, despite no longer being legal tender.

Here are some Canadian banknotes to look out for that could make you bank:

$5 (1922)

A $5 bill from 1922.

Heritage Auctions

Estimated value: up to $2,000.

What's special about it: Before the Bank of Canada was established, paper money in Canada was issued by commercial banks, like The Molsons Bank founded in Montreal. Each private institution had to have enough gold and silver to back up the currency. Bills from this "elusive bank" are highly sought-after, due to their connection to the famous brewing company.

$20 (1935)

A $20 bill from 1935.

Heritage Auctions

Estimated value: up to $75,000.

What's special about it: This bill is one of the Bank of Canada's earliest and most famous banknotes — one of the first to feature Elizabeth II as an eight-year-old princess. Only a fifth of these bills (out of around 1,200,000 total) were printed in French, making this one especially rare… and valuable.

$2 (1935)

A $2 bill from 1935.

Heritage Auctions

Estimated value: up to $5,000.

What's special about it: This French bill is "an extremely popular specimen," according to Heritage Auctions, thanks to the detail in the portrait of Queen Mary on one side and Mercury, the Roman god of transportation, on the back. Bills of this denomination were phased out in 1996, in favour of the toonie coin.

$5 "Devil's Face" (1954)

A $5 bill from 1954.

Heritage Auctions

Estimated value: up to $11,000.

What's special about it: This bill, deemed "interesting and scarce" by Heritage Auctions, features an unusual design in the queen's hair known as "Devil's Face." If you look closely above her left ear, you can see the outline of a face with horns (a shoulder devil, perhaps?). Only a few thousand of these notes were issued before the engraving was modified to remove the controversial design.

$1,000 Modified (1954)

A $1000 bill from 1954.

Heritage Auctions

Estimated value: around $1,500.

What's special about it: The back of this note shows a covered bridge and the Saguenay River in L'Anse-Saint-Jean, Quebec. It's part of a landscape series featuring nature scenes from across the country of areas "that showed little or no evidence of human activity." This bill would be worth a whole lot more if it had the "devil's face" in the queen's hair. But it's still a great example of the modified portrait.

$1,000 (1988)

A $1000 bill from 1988.

Heritage Auctions

Estimated value: Up to $5,000.

What's special about it: This bill is part of the "Birds of Canada" series, which followed the landscape series. The pink $1000 banknotes, called "pinkies" for their colour, had two pine grosbeaks on the back. These bills were phased out altogether in 2000 because they were predominantly used in criminal transactions. It takes a much smaller bag to transport $1M in banknotes if you're able to carry higher-value bills!

$10 Butterfly Fold Error (1989)

A $10 bill from 1989.

Heritage Auctions

Estimated value: up to $3,000

What's special about it: This bill features a fold error in the bottom right corner. Some collectors find it appealing to own bills with manufacturing issues for their uniqueness. However, it's important to look out for fake folding and cutting errors, which be made "by cutting notes from a complete sheet that can be bought on the market," according to Coins and Canada.