Removing pencil marks from bills.

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

I recently got a 1954 $20 note in EF condition, nice note, except it had a teller's counting pencil mark on it. I didn't want to damage the note, so I thought I might try using poster putty to remove the mark. It's the white/grey poster putty you buy for a couple of bucks at any department store or office supply store. I just kneeded a small amount of putty until it became warm and soft, then I pressed it onto the bill and lifted it off. I did this a few times until the pencil mark basically lifted right out of the paper. Result, no damage to bill, or fading of ink, pencil mark completely gone. Cool I thought. Has anybody else tried this? I just know somebody is going to flame me for tampering with the bill, reducing it's value or something like that. But as far as I know, the bill doesn't appear damaged, even looking through a loop.

d_polo....  
NEVER try and clean a note! This actually downgrades a note. Such pencil marks can actually often bring value to a note and attempting to remove it will decrease its value. This is a fact of paper money collecting. On the other hand im not an expert so lets leave it up to the others to see what they have to say

 This is a question I've been wanting to ask.
I have this note and wondered if the pencil could be removed as it really takes away from the note being so close to the serial number.

I'm curious as to the comment by "JB105" regarding the teller's marking may add value to a note.

I've never heard of this, but I would be interested to learn more and to know which markings to look for.

d_polo....  
NEVER try and clean a note! This actually downgrades a note. Such pencil marks can actually often bring value to a note and attempting to remove it will decrease its value. This is a fact of paper money collecting. On the other hand im not an expert so lets leave it up to the others to see what they have to say

i must have worded one of my sentences wrong above, anyhow what i wanted to say is that its not really a good idea to remove pencil/ink marks from notes. This often downgrades the value of a note so you are often best to just leave the pencil mark on that note. It could make it worth more if you do not attempt to remove it because by attempting to remove you may further damage the note itself.
I hope this makes more sense lol im not good at writing.  

Gotchya!!

I just interpreted your wording another way.

Certainly makes good sense...why chance making the note worse than what it may already be.

d_polo....  
NEVER try and clean a note! This actually downgrades a note. Such pencil marks can actually often bring value to a note and attempting to remove it will decrease its value. This is a fact of paper money collecting. On the other hand im not an expert so lets leave it up to the others to see what they have to say

There is the mandatory flame you were looking for

So I don't think there's anything wrong with removing a pencil mark if you do not damage the note in the process.  Damaged notes have lower values.  Notes with pencil marks have lower values.  Notes which had pencil marks removed without damaging the note... worth the same as a note that never had the pencil mark in the first place.

I have to wonder, are there people out there who buy notes in, like VG condition, and cry their eyes out when they find a pencil rub mark or a pinhole?  

I don't necessarilly agree with buying only high grade notes to form a collection, but people looking for problem-free VG notes should be... never mind.

Gary, I see nothing wrong with your note.  Does that little pen mark really bother you?

 Well it does, I find it distracting it is the first place your eyes go to.
Like you said a note with graffiti has a lower value and a note that has had graffiti removed without damage is worth the same as one that never had graffiti at all.
I have been collecting for more than 20 years and have never pressed or altered a note in any way,but this writing does catch my eye a little too much.
 I think that poster putty idea is quite ingenius.

If there's a pencil mark on a note it is damaged and even if you try to remove it will be still  damaged.Thats why UNC notes are so valuable .


   Randy