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OT: Torn $100 bill

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Richard J Kinch

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Nov 17, 2009, 11:53:29 PM11/17/09
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I have a $100 bill that is about two-thirds there and missing a third.
There is all this glib advice about "take it to any bank", but both banks I
do business with (including the USA's biggest, the one that used to have
Italy in its name) say they don't accept torn bills any more and don't have
to. The US Treasury only deals with mutilated currency that is less than
half a bill. Has the US dollar turned into some filthy third world
currency that nobody wants to handle any more? Do I have to go to some
special window at the Federal Reserve Bank?

Jon Anderson

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Nov 18, 2009, 12:04:58 AM11/18/09
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Richard J Kinch wrote:

> I have a $100 bill that is about two-thirds there and missing a third.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa070701a.htm

Most Google hits suggest banks will exchange, but how much time are you
going to burn trying to find one that will? Treasury Dept seems like the
best route...

Jon

Richard J Kinch

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Nov 18, 2009, 1:17:54 AM11/18/09
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Jon Anderson writes:

> http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa070701a.htm

You didn't read my post. This is not mutilated currency since more than
half of it is there.

Ed Huntress

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Nov 18, 2009, 1:26:32 AM11/18/09
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"Richard J Kinch" <ki...@truetex.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9CC7D3335E0...@216.196.97.131...

I thought the criterion was that you needed one full serial number and at
least part of the other one. At least, that's what they taught us in fifth
grade. <g>

Is that still the case? Does your bill have at least a character or two from
the second serial number?

--
Ed Huntress

Richard J Kinch

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Nov 18, 2009, 2:24:33 AM11/18/09
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Ed Huntress writes:

> Does your bill have at least a character or two from
> the second serial number?

All of the left half and Franklin's portrait, plus the right half up to
just a bit of the first digit from the right serial number.

It is more than half the bill, clearly, which is what the Treasury
considers not "mutilated".

I guess it is just one of those services that banks no longer want to
provide. I think if you had the whole bill torn in half they would still
refuse it. They probably have some post-9/11 excuse involving terrorists
or drug dealers or tax evaders. None of which applies to me.

Gunner Asch

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Nov 18, 2009, 2:37:07 AM11/18/09
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On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:53:29 -0600, Richard J Kinch <ki...@truetex.com>
wrote:


Odd..Ive never had that problem before. And Im rough on money.

Gunner

"Aren't cats Libertarian? They just want to be left alone.
I think our dog is a Democrat, as he is always looking for a handout"
Unknown Usnet Poster

Heh, heh, I'm pretty sure my dog is a liberal - he has no balls.
Keyton

Buerste

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Nov 18, 2009, 2:57:45 AM11/18/09
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"Richard J Kinch" <ki...@truetex.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9CC6F307699...@216.196.97.131...

It's not torn, it's physical form is changing to reflect what the idiots in
charge are doing to it's value. Turn it into something of whatever value
you can, as soon as you can, before it disappears entirely.


Beryl

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Nov 18, 2009, 3:05:18 AM11/18/09
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Spend it, like somebody else did.
I got the filthiest most disgusting $1 bill from a gas station once. I
didn't want to touch it, I was ashamed to spend it. When I finally
passed it on to the next victim, he looked grossed out as he took it
from me.

Randy

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Nov 18, 2009, 8:50:05 AM11/18/09
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I was always told less than 1/2 a bill has ZERO value, you need 50.1%
to redeem it.

Call your congressman, it's a government document that you are having
problems with. They have contacts they can call and get the right
answer for you.

Thank You,
Randy

Remove 333 from email address to reply.

dca...@krl.org

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Nov 18, 2009, 9:01:36 AM11/18/09
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Ask to speak to the bank manager. If nothing else this irritates the
people at the bank. They do not like it when someone does not just
accept their policies.
Explain to the manager that you expect better service than this and
are willing to change banks if necessary to get the service you think
you deserve. If that does not work, let your fingers do the walking
and find a bank with better service.
The biggest banks do not necessarily have the best service.


Dan

Jon Anderson

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Nov 18, 2009, 11:16:08 AM11/18/09
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Richard J Kinch wrote:

> You didn't read my post. This is not mutilated currency since more than
> half of it is there.

Yes, I DID read your post. Since your local banks seem unwilling to
exchange, I merely suggested you try Treasury. Explain that you can't
get it exchanged locally, and maybe they'll take care of it. Maybe not,
but the worst they could do is say no.


Jon

_

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Nov 18, 2009, 1:33:15 PM11/18/09
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On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:53:29 -0600, Richard J Kinch wrote:

> I have a $100 bill that is about two-thirds there and missing a third.
> There is all this glib advice about "take it to any bank", but both banks I
> do business with (including the USA's biggest, the one that used to have
> Italy in its name) say they don't accept torn bills any more and don't have
> to. The US Treasury only deals with mutilated currency that is less than
> half a bill.

Tear a bit off.

Next week take that bit.

Rich Grise

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Nov 18, 2009, 3:27:57 PM11/18/09
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Trade it in for ones at the nudie bar. ;-)

Good Luck!
Rich

Richard the Dreaded Libertarian

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Nov 18, 2009, 3:31:13 PM11/18/09
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On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:37:07 -0800, Gunner Asch wrote:
>
> "Aren't cats Libertarian?

Fuck no! Cats are evil. They are the only living things besides humans who
torture their victims.

Thanks,
Rich

Bob La Londe

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Nov 18, 2009, 5:56:02 PM11/18/09
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<dca...@krl.org> wrote in message
news:3bfd8905-df49-4d17...@o9g2000vbj.googlegroups.com...

That's for darn sure.

BQ340

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Nov 18, 2009, 6:56:42 PM11/18/09
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I would just drop it in the ATM as part of a deposit & see what happens.
Since some lazy teller would have to take time to write a letter
explaining why they are mailing back to you, & then correct the deposit
balance I think they would just accept it.

MikeB

Richard J Kinch

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Nov 18, 2009, 8:12:38 PM11/18/09
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BQ340 writes:

> I would just drop it in the ATM as part of a deposit & see what happens.

Yeah, I've been tempted to try that.

Richard J Kinch

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Nov 18, 2009, 8:21:27 PM11/18/09
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dca...@krl.org writes:

> Explain to the manager that you expect better service than this and
> are willing to change banks if necessary to get the service you think
> you deserve.

This has occured to me. However I can't threaten to leave because staying
at this bank is worthwhile even if they won't help me with my one-time
little $100 problem. And I do sympathize that they don't want to provide
this service any more.

It really is the proverbial bad penny, always coming back. But seriously
inflated.

I remember once at the grocery store they wouldn't take somebody's genuine
bill because it had a little purple dye on it. They thought it was stolen
loot.

People can be really superstitious about currency.

David R.Birch

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Nov 18, 2009, 8:49:14 PM11/18/09
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Read up on wolverines.

David

Gunner Asch

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Nov 18, 2009, 8:54:21 PM11/18/09
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Actually..not even close to true.

Lots of critters do it. From Killer whales down to weasels and lower

cl...@snyder.on.ca

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Nov 18, 2009, 9:44:37 PM11/18/09
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Don't exchange it - deposit it. It's still legal tender, so they HAVE
to accept it.

Beryl

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Nov 18, 2009, 11:21:28 PM11/18/09
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Richard the Dreaded Libertarian wrote:

It's innocent play to them. Humans have no excuse.

> Thanks,
> Rich

Richard J Kinch

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Nov 19, 2009, 2:20:33 AM11/19/09
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> It's still legal tender, so they HAVE to accept it.

No they don't:

http://www.ustreas.gov/education/faq/currency/legal-tender.shtml

jeff_wisnia

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Nov 20, 2009, 2:50:29 PM11/20/09
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Richard J Kinch wrote:

As I didn't notice anyone asking you this yet, how did YOU get stuck
with it?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.

Doug Miller

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Nov 20, 2009, 9:29:47 PM11/20/09
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Obviously he did. Equally obviously, you didn't read the article he cited.

Richard J Kinch

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Nov 20, 2009, 11:43:40 PM11/20/09
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Doug Miller writes:

>>> http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa070701a.htm
>>
>>You didn't read my post. This is not mutilated currency since more
>>than half of it is there.
>
> Obviously he did. Equally obviously, you didn't read the article he
> cited.

You're mistaken. The about.com page is about mutilated currency, which is
not what is involved here. I cited the actual Treasury Web page on that
subject, not the about.com spammed-out dilution, but I did read them both.
The about.com page is just a noisy derivative of the Treasury info. And as
I've said, all this footnote advice about banks redeeming non-mutilated
currency is dated, since post-9/11 none of the banks I've sampled cared to
help with torn bills, and they're not required to by any regulation.

Your non-constructive pestering is, as always, unwelcome. If you must
post, why not try to say something useful?

Richard J Kinch

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Nov 20, 2009, 11:53:30 PM11/20/09
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jeff_wisnia writes:

> As I didn't notice anyone asking you this yet, how did YOU get stuck
> with it?

I swapped a new bill in trade as a favor for someone who was both broke and
distressed about the difficulty of spending his last $100. I knew it was a
good bill, but I didn't know it would be this much trouble to pass. I
thought I would be just taking it to my bank for redemption. This bank
definitely wants my business, and we have been associated for over 30
years, but this is just something they don't deal with formally any more.

Now this was 6 months ago when I last tried, and the banks were all very
dismal and unhappy places then, with the system in a crisis recovery and
employees losing jobs every day there. They seem more cheerful these days,
so perhaps I should ask again. It's just such a petty nuisance.

Richard J Kinch

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Nov 20, 2009, 11:56:34 PM11/20/09
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I should add, I tried just buying $100 in postage stamps at the post office
with it, but even they apologized and wouldn't accept it. So sad.

Bill Noble

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Nov 21, 2009, 12:03:10 AM11/21/09
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when you pay your taxes, send it in as part of the payment

"Richard J Kinch" <ki...@truetex.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9CC9F38B731...@216.196.97.131...

Doug Miller

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Nov 21, 2009, 5:07:24 PM11/21/09
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In article <Xns9CC9F15B8A6...@216.196.97.131>, Richard J Kinch <ki...@truetex.com> wrote:
>Doug Miller writes:
>
>>>> http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa070701a.htm
>>>
>>>You didn't read my post. This is not mutilated currency since more
>>>than half of it is there.
>>
>> Obviously he did. Equally obviously, you didn't read the article he
>> cited.
>
>You're mistaken. The about.com page is about mutilated currency, which is
>not what is involved here.

Like I said -- you didn't read it. Had you bothered to read beyond the title,
you would have found this, which tells you what to do with NON-mutilated
currency:

"According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, currency that has not been
mutilated can be redeemed at a bank, while truly mutilated bills require
special handling.

"Not Mutilated Currency includes any bill that is CLEARLY more than one-half
of the original bill, and does not require any special examination or
investigation to determine its value. Examples of non-mutilated bills include
those that are badly soiled, dirty, defaced, disintegrated, limp, torn or
otherwise "worn out."

"These bills should be exchanged through your local bank and processed by the
Federal Reserve Bank."

jeff_wisnia

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Nov 21, 2009, 10:30:55 PM11/21/09
to
Richard J Kinch wrote:
> jeff_wisnia writes:
>
>
>>As I didn't notice anyone asking you this yet, how did YOU get stuck
>>with it?
>
>
> I swapped a new bill in trade as a favor for someone who was both broke and
> distressed about the difficulty of spending his last $100. I knew it was a
> good bill, but I didn't know it would be this much trouble to pass. I
> thought I would be just taking it to my bank for redemption. This bank
> definitely wants my business, and we have been associated for over 30
> years, but this is just something they don't deal with formally any more.


Proving once again that no good deed goes unpunished, Richard. <G>

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.
>

rangerssuck

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Nov 21, 2009, 11:40:50 PM11/21/09
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On Nov 21, 5:07 pm, spamb...@milmac.com (Doug Miller) wrote:

And clearly you didn't read his original post in which he said that he
did exactly as you instructed, and the bank said "No thanks."

Doug Miller

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Nov 22, 2009, 2:21:44 PM11/22/09
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In article <393ce2f4-8e1b-45db...@n35g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>, rangerssuck <range...@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Nov 21, 5:07=A0pm, spamb...@milmac.com (Doug Miller) wrote:
>> In article <Xns9CC9F15B8A62Csomeconund...@216.196.97.131>, Richard J Kinc=

>h <ki...@truetex.com> wrote:
>>
>> >Doug Miller writes:
>>
>> >>>>http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa070701a.htm
>>
>> >>>You didn't read my post. =A0This is not mutilated currency since more

>> >>>than half of it is there.
>>
>> >> Obviously he did. Equally obviously, you didn't read the article he
>> >> cited.
>>
>> >You're mistaken. The about.com page is about mutilated currency, which i=
>s
>> >not what is involved here. =A0
>>
>> Like I said -- you didn't read it. Had you bothered to read beyond the ti=

>tle,
>> you would have found this, which tells you what to do with NON-mutilated
>> currency:
>>
>> "According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, currency that has not=

> been
>> mutilated can be redeemed at a bank, while truly mutilated bills require
>> special handling.
>>
>> "Not Mutilated Currency includes any bill that is CLEARLY more than one-h=

>alf
>> of the original bill, and does not require any special examination or
>> investigation to determine its value. Examples of non-mutilated bills inc=

>lude
>> those that are badly soiled, dirty, defaced, disintegrated, limp, torn or
>> otherwise "worn out."
>>
>> "These bills should be exchanged through your local bank and processed by=

> the
>> Federal Reserve Bank."
>
>And clearly you didn't read his original post in which he said that he
>did exactly as you instructed, and the bank said "No thanks."

Oh, I did -- but if he had bothered to read this article beyond the headline,
he might have figured out that his bank wasn't supposed to do that, and either
complain to the manager, or try a different bank.

Richard J Kinch

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Nov 23, 2009, 12:03:08 AM11/23/09
to
Doug Miller writes:

> ... his bank wasn't supposed to do that ...

Little girl, the problem is not that I didn't complain or try elsewhere.

Too bad you weren't there to bat your eyelashes and swish your petticoats.

Doug Miller

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Nov 24, 2009, 12:25:40 AM11/24/09
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Well, Dick, you obviously didn't do enough to take care of the problem. Maybe
now that you know how that's supposed to be handled, you'll manage to grow a
pair and get it taken care of.
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