The Grade of a banknote can not be improved by cleaning or
manipulating. There are however some ways to make a banknote look nicer in the collection. The
improvement of banknotes is frowned upon by some collectors. Therefore it should always be mentioned,
if a banknote has been manipulated.
General rules
If in doubt it should never be tried to manipulate a banknote. There is always the chance that
the outcome of any manipulation is not in line with the expectation. In the worst case a banknote
can be destroyed, if treated wrongly.
WARNING: We will not take any responsibility, if any of the methods mentioned below are
carried out and lead to a negative outcome!
Treatments to be avoided
A banknote should not be ironed to remove creases and folds. The heat can cause the colour of the
bill to change or flow and thereby destroy patterns. Folds and creases are part of the "live" of
a banknote and should therefore be accepted as such.
Sello-tape is very useful office equipment that can help in many ways in daily live. Such tape should,
however, not be used in repairing banknotes. The chemicals that are used to make the tape sticky
can damage the fragile paper of old banknotes.
If the border areas of a banknote show fissures or small damages from handling – do not just cut
edges off. This manipulation will always cause a reduced grade of the banknote treated in this way.
Possibly feasible Improvements
Many collectors, dealers and just people using the money have written on banknotes. If a pencil
has been used for this, it might be possible to remove the writing with a soft rubber. Just gently
rub towards a single direction (towards the border) to avoid damaging or creasing the paper. Damaged
paper is always worse that a pencil sign.
Ink writing or stains can sometimes be removed by using a water, alcohol or light soap bath. Using
a fine brush the dirt can be removed carefully. The treated banknote has to be washed with clean
water after any treatment. Afterwards it should be dried, which can be done by pressing it between
paper sheets, e.g. in books.
This method will not be explained in more detail, as it can do great harm to old and valuable
banknotes. A specialist will always be able to give advice on any treatment or carry it out in
a better way than an amateur could.
Banknotes have been made to run through many hands many times. Nevertheless they are fragile items
that need to be dealt with cautiously to not damage them or jeopardise their collector value.
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