Where and how in America can you replace damaged dollar bills?

Hurricanes, floods, and large-scale fires often occur in the United States, as a result of which large sums of cash can be lost. And even without natural force majeure, anything can ruin your money - from accidental contact with a shredder to a dog’s good appetite. Before you mourn over the lost amount, try to collect what is left and contact the special department at the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Wet, torn, eaten and even burnt banknotes here will literally be collected bit by bit and exchanged for new ones.

Photo: video frame VOA

This service offers special Department at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, USA. The main condition is that at least 51% bills can be identified and assembled together, even if in pieces. How do masters by definition of damaged bills work and why, when the dog ate your money, you need to set aside a panic and wait a bit, tells Voice of America.

In the damaged money department, they know exactly what the damaged dollars look like.

“This is the only place in the world where you can return damaged dollars. So damaged that it is difficult to determine the denomination, says Eric Walsh, manager of the damaged currency department.

Eric Walsh. Photo: video frame VOA

A few charred pieces or narrow strips after the shredder may remain from the bill. And workers will collect a bill for a bill like puzzles.

“I try to find parts of the picture, it’s easier to identify,” says department employee Marvel Underwood. — Pieces of a portrait, for example. Nose, mouth, eyes."

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“We had a case where $50 in $000 bills went through a shredder,” Walsh says. “Two specialists worked on them for three weeks.”

Photo: video frame VOA

Fires and floods are the most common reasons for contacting the bureau. The largest amount Walsh had to work with was $2 million. When the real estate market crashed about 10 years ago, people withdrew that amount from their accounts and decided to keep the money in the garage. It was flooded with water, the bills became wet, stuck together - and half the amount turned into practically trash.

Photo: video frame VOA

Also, dollars are often victims of pets. The dog can nibble them, and maybe even eat them.

“In this case, we ask owners to wait until the money comes out of the dog naturally and wash it before sending it to us,” Walsh says.

Photo: video frame VOA

Eric worked with bad money after the September 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and fires in California. The strangest case in the history of the bureau occurred at the end of the last century. Eric says:

“In the 80s, one farmer lost his wallet in the field. After searching, I realized that a cow had eaten him. We always ask our customers to send us money in the packaging they found it in to avoid unnecessary damage. The farmer took this literally and sent us a cow's stomach with a wallet inside. This, of course, shouldn’t be done.”

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In general, here are ready to accept money in any condition. The bureau reviews an average of 24 000 cases per year and returns a total of 4 million dollars.

Photo: video frame VOA

Spoiled money can be sent by mail or brought in person. If the bureau worker can recover at least 51% bills, new banknotes are returned to the client, and damaged bills are taken out of circulation.

“The clients said it should be somewhere around $38. These bills are completely charred,” says employee Tina Barney, pointing to the damaged money. “But these are raw, they’ve been in this state for a year and mold has already grown.”

Photo: video frame VOA

The bureau returns exactly the amount that can be determined in damaged banknotes. Specialists spend from 6 months to 3 years to handle each case.

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