Has it ever happened to you? Have you ever put your trousers in
the washing machine and then remembered there was a large bank
note in your back pocket? When you resued your trousers, did you
find the note was whiter than white? People who live in Britain
needn't despair when they make mistakes like this (and a lot of
people do)! Fortunately for them, the Bank of England has a team
called Mutilated Ladies which deals with claims from people who
fed their money to a machine or to their dog. Dogs, it seems, love
to chew up money!
A recent case concerns Jane Butlin whose fiance, John, runs a
successful furniture business. John had a very good day and put
his wallet containing $3,000 into the microwave oven for safe-
keeping. Then he and Jane went horse-riding. When they got home,
Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven and without realiz-
ing it, cooked her fiance's wallet as well. Imagine their dismay
when they found a beautifully-cooked wallet and notes turned to
ash! John went to see his bank manager who sent the remains of
wallet and the money to the special department of the Bank of
England in Newcastle: the Mutilated Ladies! They examined the
remains and John got all his money back. "So long as there's
something to identify, we will give people their money back,"
said a spokeswoman for the Bank. "Last year, we paid $1.5m on
21,000 claims."
*Damaged bank notes. The Queen's head appears on English bank notes,
and "lady" refers to this.