The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-10-24
How Gold Coins nre Counted and Counter
feits Detected.
From The Buffalo Commercial Adueriser.l

From The Buffalo Commercial Advertiser.
The coin is sent into the 'Gold" Bureau in the
New York Sub-Treasury from banks, the Custom
House and other sources, where it is counted and
examined. The coin counters take bag of specie,
empty it upon table and assort it, separating the
smaller from the larger coin, not by the slow pro-
coss Of handling each piece, but BY throwing 1t IN
to a seive, which by the simple act OF agitation
permits the smaller pieces to drop through in
sevo with smaller holes and so on until the sepa-
ration is completed. This apparatus is the inven-
tion OF MIR. Z. II. Birdsal, the superintendent OF
the Department, who has been IL tho branch OF
the Government employ for over twenty years.
After the coins are assorted, they are examined to
detect counterfeits. This is done rapidly, but so
accustomed are the clerks to handle coin that they
never fail to discover counterfeits or tllod pieces.
/ WAS shown several specimens OF the counter
feiter's work, which have been purchased by MIR.
Birdsall as curiositles; One was S2O gold piece,
to all appearance perfect as possible; the weight
was correct, as also were the size and general
character, but it was filled coin. The operators
take u saw with which they cut through the edge
OF the piece, separating it IN half. They then pre-
pare the material which is to supply the abstractod
gold and insert it between the halves. The whole
is then submitted to pressure and heat at tho same
time, by which the union is made perfect. The
piece is then ren,itted and ready for reissuing.
Antiquarians may remember that the gold pieces
they used to carry were OF different color; somo
were yellow aad others brassy in hue, while others
we're Of copper color. The reason for this is ex-
planned thus. When the gold poured into the
mint from California in large quantities, as it did
soon after the discovery Of the precious metal the
machinery of tho mint was insufficient to thorough
" separate the silver from it, nnd consequently
was coined with a large portion OF that alloy,
giving of brassy hue. Now the machinery is per-
feet and all gold coin has copper hue. In
handful OF gold one may see almost half q dozen
shades Of color and when this is considered it will
be seen that the counterfeiter has no easy task
before him. But so expert arc some OF the fellows
that they have actually prepared filed pieces
which they could not detect themselves and finally
adopted mark, which they placed upon the head
Of liberty, on the face 30 that they could identify
it again. Experts in handling coin soon como to
detect the filed pieces by the appearance which
they bear in consequence OF having been subjected
to heat in the reunion, but the operators batf1ed
the application of this test by putting at the same
time number ofperlect coins which had also
been subjected to heat. Now it requires mon of
perfection. Counterfeits Of base metal entire are
easy Of detection. H. counterfeit or filled coin
comes into the gold room, it is cut through aud
then returned to tho party sending it, who il ro-
quired to substitute good money for it.
After the coin is assorted and examined iti
counted but not in tho way people ordinarily count
money. known Quantity-say 5000 or 1000, is
placed in one scale and coin poured into the other
until it is counterbalanced. Then there may be q
slight variation, but not sufficient to announce tho
absence Of one coin, and the variation is attributed
amount OF the scale is considered correct. In this
way $5 900 are counted, and thon they ere deposit
ted in bag and ready to be sent to the safe, but
not however, before one bag has been weighed
against another, and thus all errors in amount are
guarded against.