I remember many years ago I watched a television program that talked about a certain government office where people sent in badly damaged, shredded, or torn dollar bills and the workers sorted through them… if they could recover 51% of a bill they would let you get new clean money in return.
Do they still do that? And if so, where could someone get ahold of them? I don’t have any damaged money, I’m just curious.
First, contact your bank. Yes, they still “do” that. Probably some division of BEP or SS or whoever will step in for really horked currency. I see that you’re in Oregon … Hm…
You found the D.B. Cooper money didn’t you!!! I knew it, you’re just playing non-chalant…
“I don’t have any damaged money, I’m just curious”… Yeah, right pal. Riiighht. 
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington is the place you are talking about. They have people who do that as a specialty. They print all US paper money. They also print special stuff like White House invitations. It’s an interesting place to tour when you are in DC, you can see all the steps they go through to print the bills.
Their website says if the note is just worn out, the bank or federal reserve branch can handle it.
Coins should go to:
Superintendent
U. S. Mint
Post Office Box 400
Philadelphia, PA. 19105
While bills go to
Department of the Treasury
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Office of Currency Standards
P. O. Box 37048
Washington, D. C. 20013
Hal
I have seen a documentary on money recovery. I was years ago, but I remember a brick of charred cash being adequately identified enough through their techniques to be redeemed. I also remember a scene in which a professional carefully repieced tiny fragments into enough bill to be replaced. I was impressed by their dedication. Even what I would have guessed to be hopeless cases had at least some salvagable currency.
On a side note, my grandmother found about a third of a five dollar bill and kept it. Even after I told her it wasn’t enough to be redeemed, she still couldn’t throw it away. She still has it, and it’s probably been at least ten years. I tell her its highly unlikely the other 3/4 will show up, but something about the idea of throwing away money, even worthless money, is impossible for her.
I think I saw the same thing Lissa did and I too was shocked at the effort the government would go to to replace damaged money. The show literally showed a woman with tweezers putting together a bill from charred remains like a jigsaw puzzle. It looked insanely tedious to me and I have no idea why the US government would want to pay people to do that. If you keep your money in a shoe box and it gets burned up in a fire that’s your own lookout…you should keep it in a bank that is protected by the FDIC. Nevertheless it seems the US government does employ such people for this very purpose and while it has been a few years since I saw that documentary I see no reason why they still wouldn’t be doing it. If you’re interested in having money replaced I would contact your local bank and they could probably put you on the trail of the agency that will do this for you.