Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-03-08
Se1ettea Mistellaun.
How Genuine Bank Notes are Made.

How Genuine Bank Notes are Made
1t is estimated about $3.50, 900 counter,
felt bundred dollar legal tender treasury
notes arei circulation. Ninety-fVe per cent
of the business public are entirely ignora
of the ouly true art of judging; the greater
portion judge note by its general expires
sion !; some look for pin holes, to see if they
have often passed through the banks, and
other equally erroneous signs. Some say
that it is an Instinct, while many of oul
bankers believe it is only acquired BY hand
ling the notes for years; others depend
much upon Bank Note Reporter, and af.
ter taking some few couterfeits by CONSUL
ting that, throw them away iu disgust when
in fact the Reporter is. not at fault.
Reporters are not good for all they pre-
tend, viz to warn you of the failure Of
the banks, and also to warn you of counter
feits after they are in circulation they can
not before; and if they are a. good imita.
ton, they say, better refuse all on that plate,
A counterfeit note is fac sinsile Of the
genuine, having the same viguete, the
same dies, and every device like the geuu.
iDe, as near as they can get them, and yet
an expert judge will detect them at glance.
A spurious, raised or altered note differs
entirely from the genuine, and Reporters
giving description of the geuuines will
detect them; the counterfeit engraves bis
bank plate by hand, on wood, pewter, cop
per and steel; he is not an artist, for nc
bank note artist could counterfeit, even il
he was disposed. 80 $500
Genuine bank plates are engraved most
ly by machinery, not upon the bank plate,
but upon small plates Of softeued polished
steel. This small plate is put iuto fur.
mace, which is hermetically sealed, and is
heated, and with the use of animal carbon
hardened as hard as razor steel. Then a
soft steel plate is laid on the top of this
hardened engraved plate, and then place
into powerful transfer press, where a steel
cylinder rolls over it, back and forth, with
thirty or forty tons weight upon the cylin'
der, and by this operation the opposite Of
the engraving is transferred to the soft plate.
This plate is hardened and transferred to q
softened steel cylinder, the cylinder, is
hardened, and transfers the device to the
bank plate. This is called sigle transfer
Much Of the engravingi is doubly transferred.
and whilst all genuine engravings are trans
ferred, the counterfeit is not it is eugraV
ed directly upon the bank plate by hand
An artist cannot counterfeit for this rea.
son: Each artist has his peculiar foret
which is this: One engraves with the geo.
metric lathe, one with the medallion en-
CINE, one with the ruling engine, one en-
graves likenesses, one mountains and hills,
another trees and shrubbery, another ami
mails, another Roman letters, another fancy
letters, another the letters "will pay On de.
mand," 30. Then each device is engraved
strictly in accordance with certain fixed ar
tistic laws, which, by understanding what
those laws are, the student will become an
expert judge Of bank notes at sight, unless
be is very dull scholar.
1t requires ever twenty thousand dollars
worth of machinery, and from fifteen tc
twenty.f artists, to produce genuine bank
plates, each artist, standing at the head Of
his profession, must excel the counterfeiter.
who is often late from State prison. Eve.
ry intelligent business person may become
an expert, and the time is coming and now
is when business men must learn the true
art of detection, or pay the penalty thai
thousands are now paying for their conceit
cd wisdom of judging notes. The country
is flooded with millions of dangerous 6ves.
tweuties, ifties and hundreds legal tender
notes, also with one hundred and ffties
compound interest notes, so we'll executed
as to defy detection by ninety,fve Per cent
of the business public, bankers not except
ed. This warning is given by one who
knows The subject is worthy of the mos
brilliant business mind, and yet millions
are lost by those incompetent to judge, and
too wise to learn.