West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-06-28

Counterfeiting the currency of tn,
country is more extensively carried OF
than is generally supposed. There is
large number of men, women and chill
dren engaged in the business. Ii hai
almost become a national industry
Two causes combine to make IL so ex.
tensive-one, the difficulty of capturing
counterfeiters, and the other, the small
number of men who are specially EN-.
ployed IN the detection of that class OF
criminals. Every coin issued by the
government has been counterfeited and
every issue of legal tenders and almost
every issue of national bank notes has
been similarly dealt with. There are
more counterfeit coins made than coun-
terfeit notes, and more counterfeits
OF national banks are put on the mar
ket than of legal tenders. The readi-
ness with which coins can be counter
ieited and the small capital required to
enter into the business is the cause of
the magnitude of such operations. Five
or six dollars is enough to set a man up
In the business of making spurious
coins. Coin counterfeiters direct their
attention chiefly to the quarter and
half dollar silver pieces, though they
by no means confine themselves there
TO. The outfit for the work consists of
a Few genuine coins, some anthony.
lead, type metal, pulverized glass, a
small galvanic battery, "a crude milling
machine and a moderate supply of
plaster of Paris. With the plaster of
Paris they make the moulds-very per-
feet ones-of the coin, Sometimes i'm
one mould there will be cavities exactly
the size of all the silver coins, with the
impression of one side on one-half of
the mould and the other bearing the
FAC smile OF the reverse. The base
metal, anthony, lead, type metal and
pulverlzed glass-though tin is some
times used-is melted and poured into
the mould. When sufficiently cooled
the metal Is taken out. The coin has
dingy, rough and not at all deceiv-
ing look. 1t is smoothed with knife
as far as possible, the rough edges be-
Ing cut off. 1t Is next run edgewise
through a small milling machine.
which generally consists of two small
cogged-wheels. This makes the
notches around the edge. All that is
now left to give the coin pretty de-
cent appearance as genuine Is coating
OF silver. This the counterfeiter Sc
cures from genuine coins. The genu-
Inc coin subjected to the action of the
battery, soon looses some of ITS silver.
Before IL is sufficiently dissolved 10
totally deface 1t, the coin is taken out.
Enough genuine silver is i'm this way
procured from single coin to plate a
dozen counterfeits, and the original
looks after the operation, as if 1t was
but little worn, and can readily be
passed. This process is called "sweat-
Ing" The work is very simple A
good hand at the business can make
his moulds Of plaster of Paris and be-
gin turning out spurious pieces all i'm
two or three hours. In counterfeit
gold coins the same method is pursued,
genuine gold coin substituted for the
silver one in the sweating, being the
only change. 1t is much more difficult
however, to get a decent looking gold
counterfeit than it is one of silver:
therefore there is not much doing in
that line of business. The use of pull
verified glass in the composition of
counterfeit coins is for the purpose of
giving them "rlng" something like
that possessed by the genuine metal.
They can always be detected, however
by their weight, never being as heavy
as the genuine.