My 31st ED (2019) of Canadian Government Paper Money has been pretty helpful for me. It, or newer versions, may be a good way to get an idea of what your dad's older bills are worth. I agree with "coinguy" that there's very minor differences from 1 version to the next (other than minor upward ticks for some of the older series). Most public libraries carry these versions (or a year old version) in their
Reference Section so you could photocopy relevant pages & read up on the first chapters on GRADING (condition of coin/note). My ED has helpful photos on pages xxvii & xviii.
Just be aware that the signatures, serial numbers (&
prefixes) determine the value along with the condition of the note. The catalogue has tables/charts which list the prefix ranges so you may have a prefix which isn't identified. This is common for most catalogues as the series use 100's of prefixes & only the most valuable (unusual) prefixes are listed. Before you turn to the hard copy of a catalogue, it may help you to familiarize yourself with your dad's collection (or get an idea what he has). Look for an inventory/list of his notes (& coins) & organize these. Check out this site & a couple online resources to familiarize what he has before you turn to the Charlton (or ebay figures) determining each coin/note's approximate cash value. (Remember that catalogues provide approximate value which swings slightly with the world financial markets). These figures are higher than what a dealer will offer you.
Another 2 sites that may be helpful are:
Bank Note Museum:
http://www.banknote.ws/COLLECTION/count ... AN/CAN.htm
-This may be helpful in familiarizing whether your dad has Devil Face series or Modified notes (the difference between the 2 is pretty subtle/minor). It should also help you identify the various signatures.
Numista:
https://en.numista.com/
-There are both
COIN &
BANKNOTE sections on this site & once you've zeroed in on the coin/note in question there are often eBay links to the same (or similar) coin. Pick a weekend to focus on coins (another weekend to focus on the notes). I caution you to try to do the coins/notes simultaneously as its a lot of info & can quickly get overwhelming. Take your time & be patient and when you get comfortable, you may wish to combine your searches.
Re eBay:
Be careful with determining your note's value by some eBay sellers' listings since many sellers incorrectly identify (misattribute) their items. The coins/notes have idealistic grades (some tend to be way over graded) & are hugely overpriced (trying to lure in newbies for a fast buck). Some are fairly priced but many are not. Sellers with many items & HIGH feedback scores are your most useful ones to check but even these charge generous premiums on common notes. On many forums, we collectors refer to this online sales platform as "
planet eBay" while others call it "the
wild, wild west" since there's a lot of crazy prices & poor standards being overlooked.
Good luck!