The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-06-25
STEALING FROM THE COINAGE.
Frauds I'm Gold and silver Pseces-many
silver Coins I'm Circulation with Holes
Punched in Them-Devtces OF SWIM
dlcrs and Counterfefters.

Frauds I'm Gold and silver Pseces-Many
silver Coins I'm Circulation with Holes
| Punched In Them-Devices OF Swim
dlcrs and Countcrfeiters.
Secretary Sherman some time ago drew
attention to the large amount of defaced
coins in circulation, and the subject was
practically brought to the notice of
1rtb,t'ie reporter recently. He rendered
n bill to the cashier at the Sinclair house
and received In change n silver dollar,
half-dollar and quarter. Each one OF
these had hole punched through 1t, the
one in the silver dollar being large
enough TO allow the reporters pencil to
be passed through. Now the occasional
appearance OF any of the smaller gold
COINS with hole through them excites
no suspicion, as they are frequently used
on bangles and watch chains, but few
people ever think of making ornaments
out of such coins as dimes and quarters,
or the ponderous silver pieces of larger
value. And If these were used for such
q purpose it would not account for the
loss OF from ten to fifteen per cent. of the
metal In the shape OF an unsightly hole.
When people want to make an ornament
oil the coin, jeweler drills in it a hole
just large enough to attach thin wire
ring to it. In each of the three coins
alluded to nearly one-tenth of the metal
was missing, and the holes had not been
neatly bored, but punched out.
:" Of course 1t has been punched out"
observed the cashier. "There is no
doubt somebody buys them up for that
purpose, and makes quite good thing
out of it. It's regular nuisance"
Has it increased of latep"
10 the best OF my belief it is increas-
ing every day. / receive at this desk
from seventy-tive to 100 per diem, and
there must be more taken at the other
cashiers desks, because the payments
made there are in larger amounts, as a
rule. have pieces offered with the en-
tire center punched out and which. like
the Japanese coins made to thread on n
string, were more of ring than a coin.
VI course, If n good customer offers
Them we cannot very well refuse them,
put they are OF no use to us except for
change. We get rid of most of them in
that way, and the rest we sell to brokers
at discount of from ten to fifteen per
cent, for the banks refuse them"
The reporter afterward made inquiries
at various places where silver coins
were received largely. At Daniell's and
several other stores on Broadway, and
at various restaurants and bar-rooms.
the same story was told of the neon
venience arising from this wholesale
mutiation OF coin. The cashier Mt
Nash & Crooks said: eff the Tribune
could Draw attention to the matter in
such way rs to induce people to stop
taking these coins the whole CONNER
cial community would be grateful. I
don't know how much we receive here.
but it is a good deal. We used to en-,
deavor to pass them out again. but now
we don't take that trouble. We simply
separate it from the silver we send
to the bank, and sell it to a broker at a
depreciation. 1t has largely increased
lately, and somebody must be making n
profit out OF it, Ifeverybody could be
induced to refuse it the thing would
quickly STOP"