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 Replies: 9 / Views: 17,361 |
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
Is there some way to easily fix bills so they will lay flat? I have some (mainly foreign) that have been folded up for probably 30 years. All different kinds of folds every which way. It's making laying them flat to get pics impossible. Here's my thought (and it's probably completely idiotic, so just say "You're an idiot" and move on!). Could I lay them between some cloth and iron them on a really low setting? My other thought was to place them between the pages of a book and put something heavy on top. Suggestions?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4589 Posts |
You can try pressing them with your hand, You csn use a currency sleeve or not , and once you have them pressed put them under a heavy book or something this will help pull some of the wrinkles out. But you should know they will always have that once wrinkled now pressed look. And these type of notes can never grade Higher than VF
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Moderator
 Australia
16827 Posts |
If all you want is flat pictures of your notes, try a flatbed scanner or one of those multi-function scanner-printer things.
You should be aware that ironing or pressing notes is regarded as a no-no in the note collecting world - much like cleaning coins. Cold-pressing (like between two Krause catalogues) is acceptable, but takes a while to see much of an effect.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
882 Posts |
I would use a scanner to scan pics of these notes. That will give you a nice representation of the note. Better than pictures, if you ask me. I wouldn't press the notes. Put in a book and leave alone for a month, yes. Iron, scrape against a flat edge, and short term pressing is a no no, if you ask me. If all you have is a scanner, get some currency holders and they will lay flat in the holder while you take a semi-descent picture.
Ty
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
9400 Posts |
Beware if you iron plastic notes, I have heard that they shrink. Others may be able to confirm this. If most of your notes are 30 years old, you may not have these anyway. Steve  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
830 Posts |
I have a few wrinkly notes, and I'm just going to put them in a huge book and see what happens.
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Valued Member
United States
156 Posts |
I have a friend that has a laundry mat and she does ironing and has found old wadded up monry in the lint trap and lightly sprayed it with distilled water ond ironed it dry on a low setting but never put the iron on the currency jus hold it colseit will get most of the wrinkles out then put it in a book and pile a lot of weight on it. and give it a few weeks. some times they come out like brand new money unless the folds are deeply imbedded in the bills.. And even if thats the case it will look a whole lot fresher.
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New Member
21 Posts |
Ironing should definetly be avoided, even if the iron isn't in direct contact with the note. Any embossing on the note will be lost and this is often considered damage.
Placing it in a book is a better idea but still considered a no-no by some. Placing it in a currency holder is a better idea. Avoid vinyl holders because harmful chemicals will leach out of this plastic over time. Mylar D is the best material for long term storage. We would be happy to provide a few free samples of these holders to any forum member requesting them.
You really don't want to flatten the note completely as those creases are considered a sign of originality and are a good thing.
Flat bed scanner is the best way to image a note. Don't even consider putting any note through a scanner where it must move through anything. It could easily be damaged or destroyed. -Russell Kaye, Sellitstore
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Pillar of the Community
United States
830 Posts |
Thanks for the advice, Russell. How will wrinkles get flattened in a currency holder, though? I have some heavy ones (brand name is "Collector Safe") but I haven't seen any appreciable difference in the quantity or "depth" of the wrinkling.
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New Member
21 Posts |
The holder will tend to flatten the wrinkles somewhat just from the gentle pressure from the two sides pressing together but it won't flatten the note completely. Just unfold it as best as you can before placing it in the holder. Curled up edges and corners can be unfolded carefully with a flat toothpick. Placing a quantity of notes in holders together in a stack will exert even more pressure to flatten the notes, especially if banded with a rubber band. However, rubber bands are not good for long term storage of notes. A month or two is OK but don't use rubber bands for years of storage. The rubber degrades, sticks to the holders and produces chemicals which can contribute to the degradation of paper.
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Replies: 9 / Views: 17,361 |
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Posted 02/05/2007 8:20 pm
