For example I have a 2003 dollar that feels really soft to the touch and easy to fold, but then I also have a 2021 dollar that feels almost crisp to the touch, just like printer paper does but almost rougher, and that one is actually pretty tough to fold. I know the fact that they’re made of linen and cotton probably has to do with it, but why does age play a role?
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Paper is made of fibers and touching/crumbling creates friction that wears down fiber and rips it apart eventually so it gets softer. Similar to how bedsheets and clothes become softer the more you wash them.
US banknotes are made from a blend of cotton and linen, they’re not unlike jeans that start out very stiff and wear down to soft flexible cloth. Over time the fibers break down. Imagine making something from tiny drinking straws, at first their well bonded and stiff, but after some time, the straws are bent, some are broken and they are starting to come undone from each other. The same thing happens to paper money making it soft.
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