Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-08-25

A New Counterfeit.
CONS THAT RESEMBLE SILVER IN AP-
PEARASCE AND RING.

That's no good" said the clerk. in
the presence of a reporter. as ne showed q
I0-cent piece back across the counter OF
Broadway restaurant. q,
yes, It is said the man. who picked
it up and again laid it down, ringing 1t as
be did so.
The man behind the counter picked the
token up, laid one edge of it on the coun-
ter. holding his thumb and forefnger on
the other, and with a quick pressure,
broke il in two in a nearly straight line,
which left about two even halves. The
man looked on in stupid establishment,
and picked up one of the pieces. The
broken edge did not look like glass. but
It's texture showed readily that it was fria-
bic and not maleable.
Now, I'll show you, said the man, as he
picked up little hammer and gave the
half living on the counter a couple OF
quick cracks 1t was pulverized as If 1t
had been hammered in a mortar, and
showed only bits OF brittle. broken sub
stances. glass-like in all respects except
color The particles were dead lead
color. and the still unbroken half showed
a date of 1855, indicating that the coun-
terfeiters had, on account of its dead color
decided TO take an old instead of recent
date
The coins have been made to weigh and
ring so like silver that it is impossible to
tell TO what extent they have been circulat-
ed and doubtless many have passed
through many hands without creating any
suspicion. Markem Bros. who handle
enormous quantities Of silver of all sorts,
said they had seen two samples. The
coins are made in all grades, and the sam
pies they saw were both standard dollars.
One Of the brokers was trailing a tistiul
Of dollars from his right hand to his left,
when his eye caught the milled edge OF
the coin, which looked thicker than
its predecessors or successors. Picking
it out he found that the milling was not
quite so distinct as it should be. and the
coin had dead look, but answered cor
rectly to the touch. He threw it ont, and
refused to take it. returning it to his Gus
toner. 4 few days afterward a man came
in with similar coin, only that it was al
ready broken in two pieces. which fell
apart as the stacks OF coins rippled over
his finger ends. The edges looked like
those of lump of mica, or sheeted ism
glass. AS they are found by geological
field hunters. That there was glass in it
he could only guess, and has never met
any one who could suggest method by
" hich base metal could be combined with
glass so as to give a true weight and the
right ring. The glass is evidently intend
ed to make the ring correct, and yet it
must be thoroughly mixed with the metal
or it could not be broken with the pres
sure of thumb.
II do not for a moment pretend to
know how these glass counterfeits are
made. or how they can be made to weigh
and ring, but the thing do know is the
touch and ring of genuine silver. Moth
ing else has the same touch or the same
ring, and on that cannot be deceived"
reporter visited various silver and
glass men in the city, in the hope of find
ing out what were the characteristics of
the combination by which glass could be
mixed with base metals. He did not sue
coed. The secrets of the counterfeiters
are not known to the smelters. nor are
they to the glass-workers. and neither can
they understand how there can be an
ANAL gam, or fusing The bad metal,
according to that. must he some compar-
atively new discovery. Glass weighs only
onc-tenth that of silver, and no base
metals approach the weight of silver, so
that all are puzzled.