The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-06-30
Mutllated Coin.
WARNING TO THE PUBLIC NOT TO
RECEIVE THE SAME.


RECEIVE THE SAME.
The resumption of specie payment
by the government is again followed
by the mutilation of coins, and the in
genious and fraudulent practice, which
prevails in all countries, of punching
filling and sweating" coins. A num-
ber of silver coins, with holes therein,
have attracted the attention of officers
of the government, and there is II
lurking suspicion that many of these
coins have been punched for purposes
of gain by persons engaged in that
sort of small fraudulent business. On
the other hand, many of the coins ia
circulation so defaced, are of old date,
and have probably been kept as pocket
pieces, and perforated so as to run a
string through. The public should
adopt the remedy of refusing to take
punched or defaced coins, and this
would soon stop the practice of those
engaged in violating the law.
The most dangerous of all practices,
which is confined to q skillful few, is
the ancient one of sweating" gold
coins. This was done by dipping
coins in strong solution of acid,
which will dissolve the copper on the
face, and leave the fine gold in a
honey-combed condition, and very
susceptible of abrasion. In this state
the coins are placed in flannel bag,
and shaken violently together. The
rubbing of the coin together, in n
measure, restores the natural appear
ance of the piece. The bag is then
either carefully washed out, to be
again used or burned, and the ashes
carefully preserved and separated from
the gold. To an expert the process is
apparent by look at the coin; but
the only mode the general public has
of testing the question is by weighing
the piece. All coins falling below two
or three grains or thereabouts should
be refused, and this would throw the
loss upon the holder, who would have
to deposit them at the mint for recoin-
age. If care of this kind is taken but
little danger need be apprehended
from scratched coin.
The great preventive against
sweating" pieces is that the man
who deals with them has to operate on
a large number of coins. To carry on
profitable business he would have
to exchange a large amount of notes
for coin, and exchange abraided coin
| for paper money. These operations
would arouse suspicion, and ultimately
lead to arrest and conviction. Silver
change is the most natural and proper
currency to be used among the people
and no piece should be received which
1t is manifest on its face has been
tampered with. Gold coin is but
little used in general circulation, and
it should never be accepted by trades
people and others, if from its rubbed
and indistinct expression it is
evident 1t has been subjected to un-
lawful practices. If this course is
taken generally by the public, in a
short time there will be little punched
or defaced silver and no light weight
gold in circulation. The greatest
danger to be apprehended in either
paper or metallic currency is not from
abrasure, sweating" and other un-
lawful practices, but from the skill of
the counterfeiter. With regard to
paper currency, there is no protection
except in the education of the eye
while in metallic currency there is in
the eye, touch, weight, thickness, acid
test and sound of piece to assist the
judgment.