Smelly Money??

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

Thought I would ask as you guys would know. I have come across a small batch of bills that smell. No it isn't bleach, it's more of a musty-dank kind of smell. The bills were stored in a tin, buried in the ground for an extended period of time. So my questions are:

1) How would this kind of a smell effect the value of the bills?
2) Is there any way to get rid of this kind of smell?

Thanks

Rod

I can tell you that keeping bills in a metal tin does not allow any air circulation and therefore condensation can build up and make notes musty, damp, and even mouldy.  The big problem is that if they are damp the notes tend to get wavy as well.
You could try putting them in a container with silicate packs or baking powder to see if that absorbs some or all of the smell.   As for value, I am sure that it will affect price especially if the smell remains.
Even a safe if not opened to let air circulate will make a new bill musty, damp and smell. If you ever left a piece of paper or cardboard on a cement floor for a while and then picked it up you can already see how it absorbed the dampness.

[edit]Removed libellous reference against another member of the forums. --BWJM[/edit]

I have a pile of silica packs that I will offer to you for the shipping fees, I think it cost me about 2.50 to send a bag of 100 last time, if interested I will surely ship you some if you want??

 Jeff