Gloves, Handwash, Any ideas?

[168Bagua]

Hi,

 

I was just wondering, do you wear gloves when handling your paper money or just simply wash hands before touching it? If not what other methods do you use when handling money?

 

Thanks

[thedeadpoint]

Two answer - 1) I only handle it a couple of times a year and they remain in their plastic sleeves. 2) When I do touch them, I either touch just the sides or I handle them gently. I guess I never thought about the oils on my hand damaging them. I guess if all the oils of so many other peoples' hands haven't degraded the note, then mine won't hurt either.

 

What sort of notes are you handling?

[Dave]

I've seen notes that have had all types of oils and grime on them and they seem to hold up just fine, even those over 150 years old! The thing I would really be worried about would be stains and sticky stuff getting on the notes. once placed in the holders, I usually just leave them in there unless I need to change them for some reason.

 

I certainly make sure my hands are clean. But I never wear gloves. Even the thinnest gloves remove the tactile senses from the hands and I am certain that I would cause more damage with gloves when handling paper.

 

As far as cleanliness, I make sure that I don't have dirt, grime, etc., when I wash my hands. But I am also careful to fully rinse them with plenty of warm water so that there is no chemical residue from any soaps - just in case.

 

I read about one collector who usually used tongs. I suppose that would be okay too, but I would still be worried about handling the notes in and out of holders.

[Balaji Murthy]

Banknote are usually too large to handle with tongs, tongs can easily put a fold in them if you are not careful. Tongs are best with something small like stamps. I agree with both TDP and Dave above that you should minimize touching the notes, but clean hands are usually good enough. Like TDP above, I touch my more expensive notes only on the sides/let them rest on my palm lightly, if they are out of sleeves.