I recently purchased a small lot of interesting banknotes, but when they arrived they were unfortunately completely covered in tape and in way worse condition than they looked on the pictures. Luckily they didn't cost me hundreds of Euro's but it still feels bad...
Anyway, I tried to pull the tape gently off the notes, but by doing that I would also tear them apart so I stopped that. Does anyone have some tips on how to remove it without damaging them too much?
How to remove tape from old banknotes?
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So, let's do this.
I have a 2006 Mexico 20 pesos note.
Polymer.
With a piece of tape right in the middle (inside the black square in the image below). The "Cinta de Urex" type of tape that is so sticky it leaves your hands feeling like you just ate a cinnabon at the mall.
The note was placed in 100% acetone for a few minutes and it was able to take the tape off the note, but the stickiness was still there.
The note was left ten more minutes and the area with glue was rubbed with a cotton swab. The glue remained. Another ten minutes passed and the stickiness remained. The swab was dipped into the acetone and the area with stickiness was rubbed.
After multiple attempts rubbing the note, the stickiness was gone, but so was some of the coloring.
SO, acetone alone will not damage the polymer note if it is only in contact with it for short periods of time, unless external forces are applied to the contact (i.e. rubbing). Obviously, I am generalizing here, since this was done on one type of note only, and extrapolating that, since the rubbing took off some of the color, so will contact for extended periods of time...
I am keeping the note and will be glad to experiment on it in the future. Just let me know.
John
Edit: then again, rubbing any note with anything will take coloring away...
There was no change at all in any other place than where the note was rubbed. The base polymer did not have any change either...
I have a 2006 Mexico 20 pesos note.
Polymer.
With a piece of tape right in the middle (inside the black square in the image below). The "Cinta de Urex" type of tape that is so sticky it leaves your hands feeling like you just ate a cinnabon at the mall.
The note was placed in 100% acetone for a few minutes and it was able to take the tape off the note, but the stickiness was still there.
The note was left ten more minutes and the area with glue was rubbed with a cotton swab. The glue remained. Another ten minutes passed and the stickiness remained. The swab was dipped into the acetone and the area with stickiness was rubbed.
After multiple attempts rubbing the note, the stickiness was gone, but so was some of the coloring.
SO, acetone alone will not damage the polymer note if it is only in contact with it for short periods of time, unless external forces are applied to the contact (i.e. rubbing). Obviously, I am generalizing here, since this was done on one type of note only, and extrapolating that, since the rubbing took off some of the color, so will contact for extended periods of time...
I am keeping the note and will be glad to experiment on it in the future. Just let me know.
John
Edit: then again, rubbing any note with anything will take coloring away...
There was no change at all in any other place than where the note was rubbed. The base polymer did not have any change either...
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