The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-02-01
NOTE COUNTERFEITlNG.

How Genuine ssanh Totes are Made
/ LeIIer firm aa g. xp.rt,
A7writer in the Chicago Tfabnae gives the
following Suggestions in reference to the
detection of counterfeit money. YG
| Ninety five per cent of the business pub
lie are entirely ignorant Of the only true
art Of judging; the greater portion judge
il note by its general expression some iook
/ for pin holes, to see ii they have often
passed through the banks, and other ways
! equally erroneous. Some say that it is al
| instinct. whilst MANY of our bankers be-
| lieve it is only acquired by handling the
notes for years; others depend muchs upon
bank note reparter aud after taking some
few counteIfeitS by consulting that. throw
them away i'll disgust, when i'll fact the re-
porter Is not at fault
Reporters are good for all they pretend,
viz: to warn you of the failure OF the banks,
and also to warn you of counterfeits after
they are in circulation, they cannot before.
and if they are a good imitation, they say,
better refuse all on that plate. "A counter
| felt note is fac sineite of the genuine, hav-
ing the same vignette, the same dies and
every device like the genuine as near as
they can get them, and yet, All expert Judge
will tell them at glance. A spurious,
raised or altered note differs entirely from
the genuine, aud reporters giving descrip
tion Of genuines, will detect them; the
counterfeiter engraves his bank plate by
hand, on wood, pewter, copper and steel F.;
he is not au artist, for no bank note artist
could counterfeit, even if he was so dis
! posed. 50
Genuine bank plates are engraved mostly
by machinery, not upon the bank plate, but
upon soft plates Of softened polished Steel
This small plate is put into a furnace, which
is Theoretically 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 en-
Igraved plate, and then placed into pow
-rfu transfer press where IA steel cylinder
rolls.pver it-bIck aud forth, with thirty or
forty tons weight 'npon the cylinder and by
this operation the opposite ot the engraving
il transferred to tile soft plate. This plate
is hardened and transferred to softened
steel cylinder, the cylinder is hardened and
transfers the device to a bank plate. This
is called single transfer Much of the en-
; craving is .doubly transferred, and whilst
all genuine eugravlngs are transferred, the
counterfeit is not it is engraved directly
upon the bank plate by hand.
i An artist cannot counterfeit for this rea
son Each ARTIST has his peculiar forte,
wi ich Is this One engraves with the &c.
onletrlc lathe. one with the medallion en-
glue. one engraves iikenesses. one noun
tains and hills, another trees and shrubery.
another animals another Roman letters
another fancy letters, another the letters
will pay on demand" &c, Then each de.
vice is engraved strict " in accordance with
4 certain fixed artistic laws, which, by under.
standing what those laws are, the student
will become am expert Judge of bank notes
at sight, unless he is very dull scholar.
1t requires over $200,0U0 worth of ma
chinery, aud from ID to % artists to pro.
duce genuine bank plates-each artist
standing ut the head of his profrssou-must
excel tile countcrfeiter, who is often late
from State prison Every Intelligent bust
ness 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 that thousands are now
paying for their conceited wisdom Of judg-
ing notes The country is flooded with
millions of dangerous fvts, twentes, fifties
and hundreds legal tender notes also with
one hundreds aud fitties compound interest
notes, so well executed as to defy detection
by ninety live per cent. of the bushes pub.
tic, bankers not excepted This warning is
given by one who knows The subject is
! worthy Of the most brilliant business mind,
aud yet millions are lost by those iucompe-
tent 10 Judge, aud too wise to learn.