I picked up some 1957, 1957A and 1957B silver certificates on ebay and they stink like an ashtray. Will letting these notes sit out help reduce the smell of smoke? I am guessing not but if anyone has any suggestions that would be great. I didn't pay much for them since they are VG\fine but it is still annoying. I don't want to open my binder and smell smoke.
How the heck does smoke embed into these notes, unless they are left sitting out unprotected? Cigarette smoke is an extremely fine particle, smaller than most dust, pollen, or other ambient particulates found in homes. So moving air through these notes might dislodge those little guys??? Dryer sheets would sure help reduce the static, but will just mask the smoke with a different kind of funk...
I have heard that you can put them in a closed shoe box with an open box of baking soda inside also you can use one of those stick on odor removers you use on fridges and trash cans. And some foot powders that are used for shoe odors can remove tobacco odor.
Best option is that opening the windows and doors every couple of days for a whole day will help get the stink of cigarettes out of a home. australian aviation air charter
Put them in your pants pocket and throw them in the wash. Ok, maybe that would be bad. I've also heard of the dryer sheet method working.
Considering the condition these notes are in, it probably couldn't hurt! I actually left the notes out on my desk the last two days and the smell is almost completely gone. I can only imagine what the seller's house smelled like. Thanks for the suggestions.
A trick we used to get the smoke smell out of cars was to put an 1/2 an apple (cut) in a coffee can about 1/4 full of coffee grinds and put that in the car. For some reason it did the trick unless it was absurdly smoky.
U.S. notes are printed on cotton rag fiber paper. Ever been in a smokey place and go home only to notice your clothes smell like cigarette smoke... It penetrates, or at least temporarily attaches itself to cotton fiber pretty readily, at least until the clothing is washed, which makes the dryer sheet idea an interesting notion ... However, I'd be wary to use one chemically embedded material to absorb or mask another odor, and certainly don't let the dryer sheets come into contact with your notes as that residue could also be absorbed by the notes. The best thing to do is pretty much nothing. Odor is not taken into consideration for grading purposes so shouldn't really effect grade/value. Leave the stinky notes out in a place with stable humidity, well ventilated and make sure it's a safe place where they can't be harmed nor exposed to intense light nor have any apples or coffee grounds come into contact with the notes and the smell will probably dissipate over time naturally. If that's not an agreeable solution for the problem in question, then put the notes in individual mylar sleeves which will mostly cut them off from your nasal passages detecting the notes odor, as well as preventing any new odors from attaching to the notes. If you can still smell them, have them slabbed so they are sonically sealed or go find other notes to replace the offensive notes in your collection.
