The State Treasurer is authorized to provide for the shredding, cremation, or sale of all bonds, tax anticipation notes, revenue notes and other evidences of indebtedness heretofore or hereafter issued, including interest coupons relating thereto, in the possession or under the control of the State Treasurer, which have been paid, redeemed or cancelled by the State of Illinois at least one year prior to the date of such shredding, cremation or sale. The authority herein contained shall extend to any portion of any issue and to any portion of any serial issue of such bonds, notes, evidences of indebtedness and interest coupons which have been so paid, redeemed or cancelled.
     The shredding or cremation of any bonds, notes, evidences of indebtedness or interest coupons shall be conducted in the presence of the State Treasurer, the State Comptroller and the Governor, or duly authorized agents of such officers. It shall be the duty of such officers or agents, as the case may be, to execute at such time a certificate of shredding or a certificate of cremation which shall contain a brief description or identification of the bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness or interest coupons so shredded or cremated.
     The State Treasurer may sell as scrap, for the best price possible, any such bonds, notes, evidences of indebtedness and interest coupons which have been effectively mutilated. If the value of such scrap by fair appraisal is $500 or more, it shall be sold only to the highest bidder on open competitive bidding after public advertisement, in such manner and for such terms as the State Treasurer, by rule, may prescribe. The State Treasurer shall execute a certificate of sale which shall describe or identify briefly the property sold.
     Each certificate of shredding, cremation or sale shall be filed in the office of the State Treasurer for permanent keeping therein.