Why not more mold?

Bruce, maybe you could interview Douglas Cobb? His bio is at the bottom. His thoughts on mold seem interesting. He's a real paper/currency forensic scientist. (unlike some who just play one in tv documentaries )

Doug has a phone number at the top left of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

I think Doug could explain the holes in the Cooper money and maybe explain whether the circular hole deterioration, and ink fading can give us any clues.

... Douglas Cobb, a paper scientist and forensic paper examiner, to tell us just how long cash might last


“Money is made from 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen fibers — often called ragstock or rag paper — while most paper is made from cellulose fibers from trees,” Cobb explains, adding that those critters in the ground would make a pretty hearty meal out of that, so you might find the cash reduced to nothing with 10 or even five years.

If you put it in a suitcase, it’ll last much longer. How long depends upon what the case is made from — the more waterproof, the better. “Once money gets wet or moist, it will start to mold within as little as 200 days,” Cobb says. So, if you pick the right suitcase that’s fairly guarded from moisture, Cobb says it could last “a few decades.”

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Doug Cobb is a Paper Scientist and Document Security Expert with over 28 years of professional experience. He applies his expertise towards the resolution of conflicts involving disputed documents, including wills, trusts, checks, contracts, deeds, mortgage documents, prenuptial agreements, voter registration forms, and ballot cards. He specializes in the investigation and analysis of forged or altered documents, specifically where there is suspicion that sections were inserted, modified, or copied/pasted from other sources.

Throughout his career, Doug has worked in over 50 paper mills and has developed unique paper solutions for companies such as Hewlett Packard, Xerox, Canon, McDonald’s, and Deluxe Check. He has developed new science-based methodologies to eliminate document fraud and improve document security, including processes to determine if questioned documents come from the same source or paper. His deep industry experience coupled with the chemistry, biotechnology, and material science components of his educational background inform Doug’s scientific approach to forensic paper analysis.
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Doug earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Products, with a specialization in Paper Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota. He is a frequent invited speaker at professional organizations for document examiners and handwriting experts; including training sessions on topics of paper and print characteristics, and legal document security. Doug has developed two patent-pending technologies for advancements in forensic document examination and legal document security.
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Doug is an active member of SAFE,  the Scientific Association of Forensic Examiners and ACFE, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

I can second this. I tried to get the US Treasury Forensic people interested in examining Cooper money, but they were too busy.

FJ has identified what he thinks is a band fragment on bill group #12 in the Corbis FBI photo (Portland News Conference 1980). Area circled. Note what looks like a crease, marked wth pink lines, where a band may have once rested?

yes. And note it's not on the center? unlike what EU says Brian said.
it aligns with the 4 or 5 possible ways a random # of packets could have been assembled into bundles of 3-6 packets, with rubber bands. I've seen pics with two rubber bands ..left and right of center.

rubber band in center is no good because the packets don't stay flat.

also: two rubber bands left and right of center, and then even another rubber band or two going in the long dimension to keep the bundle as flat as possible for easy stacking.

you don't want fanning out of the edges: stacks will fall over then, easily (IMHO). That use of rubber bands might only apply in a vault, if anywhere. Probably not with cooper delivery. So bands left/right of center make sense for cooper, I think.

also: you don't need rubber bands over the center where a currency strap is. bills are already compressed flat there

Picture of circular mold spots on a one dollar bill.
the person posted the pic described the bill as moldy
the circular spots on the cooper money may be advanced mold results.
might be the normal way mold eats money. Circles.

interesting, because it begs the question of why the mold attacks in dots like that, rather than more uniformly. Nature is a mystery.

But: the size of the mold holes, if they are mold holes, may be a clue on the cooper money.

Tom Kaye could do a growth experiment? Transfer typical mold from a bill to spots on other bills, see how it grows (time/moisture/warmth related)

the holes may add to a "warm" time theory. (for mold growth?)

Or if it is truly insect, that would be interesting to know

I paid money to get this book as a kindle version
someone put this pdf online.
great info (more than you can imagine) about serials and other details about currency, including all print runs

look for series 1963A $20 starting on page 148 for example
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a must have for the currency avicionado. To understand legal serial numbers on the cooper bills, and the # of bills run per reserve/year/star note etc.

For example: it shows that the 1963A twenties only had serials ending in A B or *
The FBI hoover list has (at least one) error:
it lists

L26 672 287D 63A

There were no serials ending in D in 1963A for twenty dollar bills. 

Check page 148 and 149 of serials.pdf above. The 1963A series had serials mostly ending in A, some ending in B, and then the ones ending in star (*) that served to replace notes with errors.

AB and star were the only legal endings in 1969 also, the other common cooper year.

snapshot from hoover list attached

EDIT: you can consult serials.pdf on page 149 and discover that the total number of $20 L reserve 1963A star notes that were printed, is only  8.16M

For F reserve, there were only 1.92M 1963A $20 star notes printed.

cooper star notes span other years, not just 1963A. Don't have full list yet.

Anyone ever see this stack?

I've had it for years and haven't a clue where I got it from.

Correct, years ago I thought it might of been a rubber band. it's just flipped over to the back of the bill.

If the rubber bands were around several packets it would start to thin out. I had the bands they use and if you double up on them they get thin, add more money and double up and you will have a lot of stress on the bands..