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Does Canada's $100 Bill Smell Like Maple Syrup? Many Say So

By Mark Memmott
Published May 28, 2013 at 10:51 AM EDT
Canada's $100 bill. Some think it smells sweet.
Bank of Canada
Canada's $100 bill. Some think it smells sweet.

This much is true: Many Canadians apparently think their government has embedded a maple-scented scratch-and-sniff patch in the nation's $100 bills.

According to CTV, "dozens of people" contacted the Bank of Canada after the polymer bills were introduced in 2011 to say they were sure there was something fishy ... or perhaps we should say sweet ... about the money.

But alas, this is also true: "Bank official Jeremy Harrison says no scent has been added to any of the new bank notes," CTV says.

Now, hearing about this on Morning Edition made us wonder:

-- Who smells their money?

-- What might be a good scent for U.S. bills? Maybe pizza? Apple pie? Bacon?

This isn't our first dip into news about Canadian currencies:

Whoa Canada! New Currency Has 'Wrong' Maple Leaf?

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott
Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
See stories by Mark Memmott
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