Sick note - how to clean or at least preserve from more damage?

Is there a way to remove this or at least stop these stains from spreading? The note is from the 1940s, otherwise clean and got certain historical value, would hate to see it totally ruined in 2-4 years.

 

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Do you know what type of stains they are?

 

looks like mold to me..

 

I just got it recently, no idea where it comes from. It looks like some type of fungus that develops in moist humid conditions.

Any domestic chemicals or substances one can use to treat this? And by the way, is it contagious for other same age/paper banknotes?

 

Mold on paper is similar to verdigris on copper coins. Mold needs some moisture to grow. So storage in a dessicated holder would stop growth. But some mold spores can last literally thousands of years and can spread from dried paper, so it will be a continuous process. Mold removal or use of a fungicide would be best left to a archivist, as the stain might never come off without a bleaching process, which could damage the printed areas.

Jim

 

If you had connections for sterilization processes, I would reccommend Gamma Irradiation treatment to stop it, then have it sealed. This of course would cost you a pretty nice $$$. It would of course kill the spores, however, I am not certain it would remove any stains.


RickieB

 

I've heard of ways to "fix" banknote damage, but they appear to be complicated and expensive, much higher than the value of your note.

You can get another one of those 50 Reichsmark 1940s Nazi notes from the occupied territories in a high condition for under $10 even on ebay, that would be my recommendation. That note has so much history behind it.

 

+1 Rhino. If you simply want the same note in better condition, then ebay is the way to go. If it is of sentimental value, I recommend keeping it as dry as possible in an acid-free holder to prevent further damage to the note. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get rid of those stains without ruining the rest of the note.

 

Most coin/currency supply website sale Silica Gel. Get some, and keep your banknote in a temperature stable environment. Reusable Silica Gel pack is what I use for gun storage!
You can also get some small packs, and keep your bills in a large Tupperware container.
Sorry about your note, cause there really isn't a hole lot you can do to remove it without trashing the ink in that corner!
Maybe a heavy metal like mercury could remove it without killing the note or maybe tetrachloroethylene?

 

this post got to me and got me thinking about it
so i had an old bill not too bad or dirty but still wanted to try something
and this post just made me want to see what would happen
and before any one said anything i know this will cut down on the value of the note yes i know
the bill or note is a 1928 10 dollar bill
i did wash it
and here are the before and after scans of the note



all i used was some hot water little bit of bleach and some soap and let the bill soak for about 30 min's
if you need more of what i did let me know ?
this may help you with your note as even a small amount of bleach will kill the mold on the note
and it did not hurt the ink in my bill as you can see

 

Uh, I will withhold further comment in the interests of continued civility herein.

 

Interesting experiment there with the $10. Can you elaborate on the end result?

1. How did the washing affect the texture of the note? Does it feel thinner than before? Crisper than before? Or is it more like a rag now?
2. Were you able to dry it completely? Or does it have a bit of sagginess now to it, even though it's brighter?
3. It brightened the note, but it appears that the detail on it is still the same level. Did it make the small tears/holes/pinholes in the note worse after you dipped it? Did any get bigger?

I'd recommend knowing all the answers to those questions before trying that wash :thumb: Plus I wouldn't recommend it for the type of note that Taxidermist has - that one is rich in color, especially darker tones like a dark red, dark blues, very dark colors in general. The $10 has little color to it... so a note with a lot more color in it has a high potential to get washed out and lose the depth of its colors, which would solve 1 issue and create a new one.

EDIT: Let me add a notice that you should only do this kind of experiment with notes that are in your personal collection and will remain in your collection. Definitely not advocating any sort of doctoring to notes for profit. Taxidermist was definitely asking just for personal use though, so I hope we'll all remain civil. And that faded/brightened $10 is still worth just $10, with or without that experiment.

 

yes i do like what was said this is a note that i do not plan on selling it was just something i wanted to know for myself and what it would do
as for all the ?'s i will try my best
the texture of the note is about the same maybe a little stiffer (maybe from the way i dryed it)
yes the why i dryed it was i put it in the middle of 4 papertowels put a glass pie pan on top of it and put it in the microwave for 30scne,
the note did have one small pin hole and yes the hole did not get bigger but is easyer to see now

this note again is note one i will sell and only did this as it did make me think about it and now that i have done this i feel that i can better spot other notes that have had the same thing done
mostly i did this for myself knowing of what to look for but did want to help some one out that sounded like he realy wanted some help
thats all

 

You didn't mention any washing with plain water between the bleach mix and drying. If the paper wasn't washed well , the bleach may appear to have been halted, but may continue to act as a "dry bleach" over time, especially in brighter light.
Just a caution.

Jim

 

Ah... better living through chemistry, as they would say.

 

as the post started the person was asking about a note with mold on it this test was to give more info about a way to help them so i did not even think about just washing it in plain water as that would not help with the mold but even a small amount of bleach would i wanted to know what would the bleach do to a note other than just make it whiter
but this was just a dip no rubing of any kind (i did flip it over many times ) so the water did come out dirty
after letting it set all day the note is still the same
after thinking about this and telling a friend about it i had to tell him what our money is made from and what is in the ink (and that may not be the same as money made some place easl

 

Why could'nt you have done the testing on some ole worn and torn $1 of current Series instead of a Series 1928 Numeral?
I am sorry to say but that logic just does not register with me..as you mentioned you knew not to do it and the ramifications of doing so.

Regards

RickieB

 

rickie
i used that note for many resons one i have more of them than any other bill plus to do this right i wanted to use a bill that had the age of the ink also and the age of the paper
sorry but coming from MIT i did think about this and did what to help out the best way i can thats all
i did not mean anything with this but to help some one and i know many will look at me funny for doing it
school has showed me the best way to learn something is to do it (but think about what you are doing fisrt )

 

Try looking at it under different wavelengths of light. http://www.cointalk.com/t60825/ http://www.cointalk.com/t61569/

 

This topic is, of course, not about doctoring notes for profit but for preservation.

Buying a new one on eBay would not be the method (for me, anyhow). Anyone can just throw away his current collection, spend $xyzabc USD on eBay and get the same collection in crisp UNC, its not the point.

I was considering soap+water and bleach, but not mixed together, and i wasn't sure at all whether i should soak the entire banknote or just apply carefully in damaged areas with something like a q-tip you use for ears. I think i`ll go with the second option in this case as the rest of the note looks fine. Thanks for the test and the results, floirdatinman. As far as i can see, the $10 indeed look better now.

I guess i will conduct a cleaning attempt and share the results here in a few days.