The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1860-12-06
MANUFACTURE OF COUNTERFEIT
(0IN

lO1N.
The occasional arrest Of q scamp or
the charge of uttering spurious coin of th,
realm, reminds US that it has been esti
mated by good cslsulators that fully ter
per cent of all the apparent gold coin il
circulation is bogus. much of it being SO
admirably executed as to deceive banl
officers aud other frst class jud ge,. The
natural and leeitimate loss in value o
gold coin Is immense. S0sll coins lose
more than the larger denosrin ations. The
estimated loss on the coin in circulation
in the United States is over 81 ,000.C0(
per anuum. This attracted the attention
of the United States Government, and
Congress, at recent session, nude an
appropriation of SIS, 600 for the purpose ot
continuing the experiments carried on al
the mint in PbiladcIphia BY DR.. James
Il. Barclay to ascertain the best. modes oi
detecting counterfeit coin, and also to
report whether improved mechanism " would
enable the Government more perfactly to
guard against its manufacture and its use
DIR Barclay prosecuted his experiments
in Philadelphia, and afterward went to
Europe to gather further inior u alton
He is of the opinion tba not less than one
per cent of the silver, and as much as
taco per cent of the gold coin in circuls-
tion is either spurious or has been impair.
ed 10 value. and yet By processes so spe-
eiously performed as daily to deceive
banks and brokers. In the course of his
experiments, the Doctor found fourtee q
methods by which coin is either initiated
or tampered with. He describes them
thus:
I. Imitation by Casting,
Casting a medal of inferior value, but
resembling the coin initiated as much as
possible in color, specific gravity. ring,
etc., is the simplest kind Of couutcrfeiting <
practised, but is limited exclusively to the
Imitation of silver coin. 1t is yerg easily
executed upon our present coin. is much
practised, AMI though not very speeioGs,
is dangerous.
II. The Gliding Fraud.
The gliding frand i, usually effected By
stamping a ,o;t metal Of inferior value,
and then coating it with -ilVer or gold by
means of the electrobath, or covering it
with silver or gold leaf, as 10 ordinary
gliding. The die, With which the in
preston is struck, is generally a mere
cast from the genuine coin, made In bard
but fusible metal. The color of the com
pound is im aterial, being concealed by
the subsequent gliding operation. Even
the sound, and. in the case of silver coins.
the density also, are obtainable. The
fraud, it must therefore be clearly seen,
is most specious and dangerous one
Our inquiries lead US to believe that it is
carried Oh, at the present time, to for
midable extent.
Ill Coming alloys, resembling gold and
silver, but containing neither.
This fraud consists 10 coming metal
of inferior value, but resembling the gen.
uiue coin as nearly as possible in color.
density and risg, either with or without
coating of precious metal. Such com-
portion being generally very hard, re-
quire for the impression a steel die
Nevertheless, the higher grade of skill
demanded in the execution of such dies,
does not exclude the prediction, TO ve-
~ considerable extent, of this variety of
counterfeit.
". Counterfeits with the alloy above
the standard amount.
This fraud consists 10 coming COM
pound containing liberal proportion of
precious uetal, hut still % uch poorer ths
the genuine coin. 1t is attended With
60 little profit. compared With other modes
of couuterfeiting on account of the xii
and % machinery required, that IT is not ex-
tensively practiced.
Y. The encasing process
This mode of counterteitlDg consists IN
euvelopiDg cheap metal within thin SOL
dered disks of precious meta and then
striking the plancbet in Going press
With die and press at command. the
fraud is easily practiced. 1t has been
pronounced by the director Of the Mint.
according to the statement OF DIR. Bare
ley, as the mo.t dangerous which has at
tracted bis notice.
VI Altering and gliding certain silver
coins In imitation OF gold coins.
This fraud is performed by electro coa-
ting. or, otherwise gliding. certain silver
coins. after scraping off particular por-
tions, 10 order to make them conform
more closely to certain gold coins which
they resemble in other respects. Some ol
our oLd ha5f dollars are susceptible of be.
ipg transformed into eagles.
VII. The facing fraud.
This species of deception is accomplish
ed by removing one Of the faces OF sil'
YER coin, and soldering the thin face of a
gold coin of similar diDen'ions upen the
silver coin, suitably gilded. Thus the
half dollar of 1901 harm onizes sufficient