Currency strap

A currency strap, currency band or bill strap is a simple paper device designed to hold a specific denomination and number of banknotes[1]. It can also refer to the bundle itself.[2]

A stack of $100 Federal Reserve Notes in $10,000 straps. Note the ABA compliant mustard color.

In the United States, the American Bankers Association (ABA) has a standard for both value and color, as shown below. Note that all bills greater than $2 only come in straps of 100 count. The colors allow for quick accounting, even when the bills are stacked, such as in a vault. Special striping bands are used for straps containing star notes.

History

Bundling money together with a simple elastic or paper device is as old as paper currency itself. However, measured and standardized straps are a relatively new idea. For example, until the mid-1970s, The US Federal Reserve counted bills by hand. That is, they employed 55 currency counters whose job it was to count as well as, by touch and feel, authenticate bills.[2] However, as the amount of currency in circulation increased, they found that they needed a more efficient way to count currency. To help the Currency Counting staff keep up, the Bank began strap-sorting the $1 to $20 notes. Straps were visually inspected and weighed against a counterweight equal to the paper mass of 100 genuine U.S. notes. Currency straps have even helped catch the culprits in bank robberies, like the Dunbar Armored Robbery in 1997, which happened because one of the culprits decided to pay a real estate broker with a still-strapped bundle of notes.

ABA Standard (United States)
A strap of US $2 bills, with a green strap.
Strap Color Bill
Denomination		 Bill
Count		 Bill
Total Amount
Black$125$25
Orange$150$50
Blue$1100$100
Green$1200$200
Green$1250$250
Green$2100$200
Red$5100$500
Yellow$10100$1,000
Violet$20100$2,000
Brown$50100$5,000
Mustard$100100$10,000

See also

References
  1. US3896524A, Parker, "Bundle binding strap", published 1975
  2. History of Currency Counting at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
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