Method and apparatus for discriminating and counting documents

A currency counting and discrimination device for receiving a stack of currency bills, rapidly counting and discriminating the bills in the stack and then restacking the bills comprises and input receptacle, a discriminating unit and one or more output receptacles for receiving the currency bills after being discriminated, a transport mechanism for transporting said bills one at a time from the input receptacle passed the discriminating unit to said one or more output receptacles and one or more counters keeping track of the value of the bills, value indicating means for an operator of said device to indicate the value of any bills the denomination of which is not determined by the discriminating unit, said means appropriately effecting said one or more counters, wherein the operation of said device is suspended when the discrimination unit is unable to identify the denomination of a bill.