4 the stack of bank notes a placed on the holder is held between an upstanding side plate 4 39 which extends upwardly at a right angle from the upper surface of the holder 4 and a support rod 5 which is mounted on the free end of a rotatable arm 6 the surface of the outermost bank note a of the stack is brought into abutment against one of the suction heads 2 on the cylinder 1 accordingly the suction part of this suction head 2 is closed by the bank note a and thus the degree of vacuum for the above mentioned vacuum switch is increased to turn this switch on thereby starting the cylinder 1 rotating and then beginning the counting operation the pressing force of the bank note a against the suction head 2 is given by the difference between the tensile force of a first spring 7 which urges the rotatable holder 4 toward the cylinder 1 and the tensile force of a second spring 8 which urges the rotatable arm 6 and accordingly the support rod 5 in the direction away from the cylinder 1 the first spring 7 is designed to present a larger tensile force than that of the second spring 8 so that the holder 4 may be driven toward the cylinder 1 to bring the stack of bank notes a into abutment against the suction heads 2 under a substantially constant pressing force throughout the counting operation of the machine in such construction of the prior art however setting the tensile force difference between the first spring 7 and the second spring 8 to a desired value has required a delicate adjusting technique.