Separating old wet bills.

[Jowlz]

Not sure if this is the correct place to ask this..but it was the closest fit. Does anyone have a method of separating a stack old bills that have gotten wet when buried? Thanks.

[EDDE]

freeze dry them

[Jowlz]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

[Spitfire Reddie]

Well first what you do is tell us the story of how you found them ! & a pic of them ! LOL

[Gypsy Heart]

Try to sprinkle as much baking soda on them as possible,then put into a bag...brown grocery bag.....this will draw alot of moisture out without ruining the note and helps with mildew problems...

[Jeffro]

I've seen conservationists work with baths on paperworks. If they are wet, keep 'em wet. slowly spray off dirt, etc. slowly unroll them and let them soak until you can carefully peel them off. After that, your guess is as good as mine.

I think the Republic video has some scenes of this process, and the movie Titanic-

Might be for items found in saltwater only, too. I'm just guessing here.

If you think they may be valuable, by all means keep them wet until you find out exactly how its done.

[Jowlz]

The bills were found buried in a corner of a dirt floor of a basement at my great uncles house. I will take some pictures when I get to see them first hand Thanks again for the info.

[Gypsy Heart]

Great find! Hope you are able to post a pic! Whats the story behind them...Thats so cool to find a cache in the basement! Hope it adds up to alot of moola for you or your uncle!

[Minelab Ron]

Not sure if this is the correct place to ask this..but it was the closest fit. Does anyone have a method of separating a stack old bills that have gotten wet when buried? Thanks.

Hubby says you can send this money to a division of the US Mint (you would have to call to be directed to the right person). They will inturn, separate the money, and you will be sent new cash in it's equivilant. This is a free of charge service. Just call the US Mint and tell them what you need to do and they will direct you to the correct dept.

This can also be done with burned money, just for your info.

HH,
Ann (for Ron)

[MiddenMonster]

Hubby says you can send this money to a division of the US Mint (you would have to call to be directed to the right person). They will inturn, separate the money, and you will be sent new cash in it's equivilant. This is a free of charge service. Just call the US Mint and tell them what you need to do and they will direct you to the correct dept.

Ahhhhhhhhh! Run for the hills! The revenuers are coming!

Actually, that probably is the best way to do it and preserve the value of the money, although I would bet that they will only separate them enough to tally the total value and then destroy the old bills to take them out of circulation. I see two possible downsides to this, however. One is that if the money is from an old crime like a bank robbery they might seize it and Jowlz will get nothing. The other is that the U.S. Mint might notify the IRS, and they might (definitely would?) tax it. Idon't know why I think lke this. I guess not trusting the government is both a blessing and a curse.

[jeff of pa]

as Jeffro says, Keep them wet. (Warm Water)

If they dry they will paste together.

If all else fails the Mint will do it.

[double barrel]

the mint only gives 50% back i think.

[Zobex]

freeze dry them

You can freeze dry but it will break down the tissue of the paper. Water when frozen expands, ice expands, the growing ice crystals are little jacks that force apart the paper. Also, freeze dry, like in making instant coffee, requires the vacuum pumping to evacuate the ice. That is, the objects (or liquid coffee) is placed in a vacuum chamber and the air is pumped out. Well water, or ice, has a vapor pressure and when the pressure in the pumped chamber is below the vapor pressure of the liquid or ice, the water volatiles off, so does ice, leaving behind what does not volatilize off. In one case dry powder instant coffee or in your case dry paper.

My brother built a vacuum pumping chamber to use in his art studio for drying out plaster molds. You can vacuum pump dry a wet plaster mold in some 15 minutes or wait 3 days other wise.

Zobex

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

The treasury will replace your money and deduct the taxes. You then need to file your taxes to get any of it back. They make their withholding as if you have no deductions. exanimo, ss

[MiddenMonster]

The treasury will replace your money and deduct the taxes. You then need to file your taxes to get any of it back. They make their withholding as if you have no deductions. exanimo, ss

That I can definitely believe. Ideally, they would only do this if you told them you found the money as it could legally be declared income. But I wouldn't be surprised if they withold taxes if you sent the money to the treasury with an explanation that you went camping and your pants got wet, causing the bills to stick together. That way they could deduct the taxes and collect interest on the money for up to a year before you filed to get it back. And then the burden is on you to prove that it shouldn't be taxed. For what it's worth, I've heard you can take bills to the bank and they will replace them. All you need is more than 50% of the bill, either in one piece or several to have them exchange it. Never tried it, though.

[CACHEHNTR]

freeze drying is the process they use to safely dry rare expensive books that have been water soaked due to fire,also used for flowers. as well as many many taxidermy implications. BUT a profesional freezdry machine is like 15,000 to 20,000 + dollars. On the other hand if you know a taxedermist with one it maybe a deal can be met? If freezedry is good enough for museums,book dealers etc. I'm guessing it's good enough for wet money too? Of course I could be wrong,I'm no pro............

[ClonedSIM]

I ran across just over 1/2 of a $20 bill one time (it was blowing around a parking lot) and I packed it up and sent it off to the mint for replacement. About 6 weeks later I got a brand new crisp $20 in the mail from the mint preservation department. Granted, it's probably a whole let less than you have there, but they refunded the full amount in my case.

[TreasureTales]

If the bills are old (and therefore possibly collectible), maybe you will need to try one of the methods already posted here. If the bills are newer ones, from the past 60 years or so, I'd just take them to my bank and ask if they will follow the proper federal procedures for replacement. My sister did that with some hundred dollar bills once and her bank had the money replaced and back to her within 6 weeks. No questions were asked and no taxes were incurred. I'd try my bank before doing anything else.

[schj24]

Ive read that the vaccum pump is used by historians to dry and preserve wet books etc.Use this metod.Tere mayt even be a company that will do it for u.

[cptbil]

Hi All!
Say!
If all you need is a "vacuum pump" ....
Why, Heck, Fire!
Just about every A/C Serviceman has a "vac pump", sitting around!
&
Those "dudes" pull down, into the Micron range Too!
Remember!
When you build your "vac chamber" just, make sure that it's a tough Dude !
That "vacuum", will flatten, just about anything ! :P