Just picked up a 1923 Large size dollar bill (Woods-White), did not notice it had adhesive tape along the top and bottom reverse. The note is is really good shape otherwise, at least AU in my rookie shot at grading. Any suggestions on how to remove the adhesive tape without damaging the bill?
Can we see it? If it's old dried-up tape a razor might loosen it. I've done that. If it's newer tape steam might. You're going to risk damaging the note, though.
If the tape was there for a long time don't be surprised if that area is a lighter color than the rest of the bill Or depending on the adhesive a darker color
Don't you love when idiots put nice notes in a plaque, but do it with tape... I suppose an 17¢ sleeve never crossed the previous owner's mind.Double sided tape is a pain, impossible to remove without damaging the note noticeably to any prospective buyer or professional grading service. Consider this a learning experience, never buy raw notes without examining both sides thoroughly. I've always gotten graded notes for Large size or valuable modern notes.
Yes. Razors, heat (steam or blow dryer), and chemicals will remove the tape. But none of these mentioned methods will do so without damaging the ink or paper.
I wouldn't mess with it. Chalk it up as a lesson learned. You can find nice AU examples of these (graded) for under $100. http://currency.ha.com/itm/silver-c...1544-81579.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515
I'd let it alone, @BaconSlayer. Have some bacon and forget about it. That's what I'd do. This isn't a bad job. It's uniform. It's confined to the edges across the length. It's not holding together a tear. It's clear, and it clearly shows the note underneath. And I love bacon.
Thanks for the advice, but I got the note pretty cheap and I was up for a challenge. The tape came off well, no tears or de-lamination of the bill. The challenge was the adhesive and the best way to remove it seemed to be light heat and gentle rolling off of the adhesive with my finger. The pain was removing the adhesive off my finger between passes so not to re-apply it to the bill. The bill still has discoloration where the tape was. Going to see if I can flip it for a profit tonight at the coin club - with full disclosure. Thanks!
That's fantastic! You lucked out. You had tape that was still willing to cooperate. Good job on saving this one.
Ok, here is some after pics and same corner as above. For my education, what might be the grade if no tape were ever applied and what may the grade be now, post restoration? The bill is crisp, no folds, no tears, no holes, full corners, etc...
