The possibility of making \$138,000 from shredded banknote pieces using computer vision

Abstract

Every country must dispose of old banknotes. At the Hong Kong Monetary Authority visitor center, visitors can buy a paperweight souvenir full of shredded banknotes. Even though the shredded banknotes are small, by using computer vision, it is possible to reconstruct the whole banknote like a jigsaw puzzle. Each paperweight souvenir costs \$100 HKD, and it is claimed to contain shredded banknotes equivalent to 138 complete \$1000 HKD banknotes. In theory, \$138,000 HKD can be recovered by using computer vision. This paper discusses the technique of collecting shredded banknote pieces and applying a computer vision program.