Caring for your bank notes (2024)

FAQs

How to spot fake 50 notes? ›

Banknotes are printed on special paper that gives them their unique feel. By running your finger across the front of the £50 note you can feel raised print in areas such as the words 'Bank of England' and in the bottom right corner, around the number 50. There is a metallic thread embedded in every banknote.

On the £20 and £50 notes there is a second, smaller window in the bottom corner of the note. Below the main see-through window on the front of all the notes, there is a silver foil patch containing a hologram. When you tilt the note from side to side, the words change between the value of the note and 'Pounds'.

The note is printed on polymer, which is a thin and flexible plastic material. On the front of the note, you can feel raised print on the words 'Bank of England' and in the bottom right corner, around the number '10'. The printed lines and colours on the note are sharp and clear, with no smudges or blurred edges.

Keep any paper cash, currency, and valuable paper records locked in a quality, humidity-controlled, fire-resistant safe. If you have valuables such as paper cash or other important/sensitive documents, you absolutely need to invest in a quality safe with UL-rated security and certified fire protection.

One such app is "Counterfeit Money Detector" which is available for both iOS and Android devices. This app uses various methods such as ultraviolet light detection, watermark analysis, and magnetic ink detection to help users identify counterfeit currency.

Look for the hologram image change under the main see-through window on the front of the note. It will change from POUNDS to FIVE, TEN or TWENTY depending on the value of the note being examined.

Hold the bill up to the light and look for a watermark. Newer bills should have faces. Older bills may just have what looks like a faded spot. If there is no watermark or if the watermark “face” does not match the “face” on the bill, then it is probably counterfeit.

And with cash comes the risk of getting duped by counterfeit. Here's what the Federal Reserve says to look for on a $50 bill. Color shifting ink on the '50' symbol: You should see it change from copper to green. Watermark: There should be a faint image of President Grant woven into the bill.

These laws make it a crime to: Hold, pass, publish, sell, or attempt, any counterfeit currency with the intent to defraud. Make, forge, or pass counterfeit foreign currency with the intent to defraud. Buy, transfer, receive, or deliver counterfeit currency with intent that it be passed off as a genuine currency.

How to dry wet money? ›

Use the sun's warmth to dry out your bills.

Divide the bills. In order to get each bill as dry as possible, you need to separate each one and arrange them next to each other in your sunny location. Leave the bills out for a few hours. The time varies based on how sunny it is and how soaked your bills are.

In addition to being non-destructive when used as banknote packaging, the plastic wrap has other benefits. You can write on it, you can see through it and it can be removed with a simple bag slicing tool that is inexpensive, safe and will not damage the banknotes.

Where to safely keep cash at home. Just like any other piece of paper, cash can get lost, wet or burned. Consider buying a fireproof and waterproof safe for your home. It's also useful for storing other valuables in your home such as jewelry and important personal documents.

Hold the note to light to see an embedded thread running vertically to the right of the portrait. The thread is imprinted with the text USA 50 in an alternating pattern and is visible from both sides of the note. The thread glows yellow when illuminated by ultraviolet light.

Security Thread All genuine FRNs, except the $1 and $2, have a clear thread embedded vertically in the paper. The thread is inscribed with the denomination of the note and is visible only when held to light. Each denomination has a unique thread position and glows a different color when held to ultraviolet (UV) light.