Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1873-09-04
No. Al
COunterfeittng Gold COin--Ingenulty
of COunterfeiters...A Government

OF COunterfeiters...A Government
Expert.
The New York Times prints the following
interview with Mr.. Ashley, of the Sub-Treas-
ury, in New York, in regard to the counter
feiting of gold coins:
Referring to the practice of counterfeiting,
Mr.. Ashley remarked that there was ''tilled"
coins of the denomination of 500, and then
added: '1suppose you don't know what a
filled coin is?' On receiving an affirmative
response to his query, Mr.. Ashley took from
a small drawer double eagle, which to all
appearance, was perfectly genuine. The
minutest examination of the surface and of
the milled edge, failed to disclose any marks
of fraudulent manipulation the weight was
correct to the decimal of grain, and when
struck on the counter the coin gave loud,
clear ring, true as any which were taken from
a neighboring pile of the genuine article.
Nothing seemed wanting in this skillful coun-
terfeit, but it was counterfeit, nevertheless.
''This is a ''filled' coin, continued Mr..
Ashley, as he balanced it on the tip of his
fingers. The weight is correct, it appears
good, the acid test would fail on it, and the
sound is true. 1t is one of the most danger
Gus counterfeits ever made. Here is another
cut through the centre, to show the filling.
You see that the inside of the coin is filled
with composition of platina. To fill in
this the milled edge has been carefully re-
moved, the coin sliced in two, and the inside
OF it pared away leaving the two faces intact.
An amount of the composition of the same
weight has been substituted for the more val
liable metal removed, and the several parts
of the coin have been skillfully joined to-
gether again and none but an expert can
detect the signs of the work. From double
eagle the amount of gold thus removed
amounts to $14, so you see q man could
make living If he only made one of these
filled coins day.
In response to all inquiry how the fraudulent
coins were detected, Mr. Ashley stated that
there was clerk in the building who could
pick every one out of heap of genuine coin
as unerringly ''as mother would pick her
children out of schoolful of others. You
shall see,' he continued, and taking the
filled piece, and placed it edgewise among
some forty or more pure ones. Then laying
the pile down, he called from his place, some
distance off, one of his clerks, and said:
''Mr. Tandy, will you please separate the
good from the bad in these coins ?" The
gentleman thus addressed scrutinized the up
turned edges of the coins, and threw out the
counterfeit in an instant. Mr.. Ashley then
spread them out on the counter, and thorough
ly mixed them up. Again the counterfeit
WOO uClCStCA0" Ao SAoASO. WIZ lAC OApOAA-
ment was made, and with the same result.
Some one diverted Mr.. Tandys attention for
an instant, and MIR. Ashley quietly removed
the counterfeit coin, and once more asked
the expert to search the mass. He did so,
but was not deceived, though for moment
puzzled He pronounced all the coins to be
genuine: and Mr.. Ashley triumphantly threw
down the counterfeit Mr. Tandv could not
explain how he detected the false pieces
further than that ''they did not look right
and MIR. Ashley frankly confessed he could
not himself tell how it was done, neither
could he do it. Some of the filled pieces
were shown, which seemed absolutely per-
feet; particularly one fve-dollar piece, which
was pronounced marvel of workmanship"
10 successfully ELL coin so small and thin
Is this is naturally a more difficult and deli
cate operation than filling the thick and
heavy double eagles; but the perverse ingen-
lity of the counterfeiters is equal to it, and
only the eye of SO skillful an expert as the
gentleman who admiring)y displayed the
coin to the reporter is competent to detect
he fraud