Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-12-17
MANY MONEYS.
Some Of the Peculiaritles of the Papel
Currency of Different Countries.

MANY MONEYS.
Some OF the Peculiarities Of the Paper
Currency Of Different Countries.
At steamship agency reporter was
shown specimens of currency of nearly
every European country. The money
is kept there for the purpose of supply
ing foreigners about to return to Eu-
rope who wish to exchange American
money for that of their own country.
Ordinarily the agency keeps up its sup
ply by exchanging United States cur
rency with the immigrants of various
nationalities who reach here with
money of their own country in their
possession. But in the spring, when
there Is rush of returning immigrants
going home for a visit, etc., the supply
sometimes runs short, and foreign
banks have to be drawn upon.
The Bank of England note is printed
on Irish linen water-lined paper, plain
white and with ragged edges. The
paper lacks the smooth, oily feeling of
our own currency, and the plainness Of
the lettering and the entire absence of
any coloring excepting black and
white makes the bill in appearance
easy to counterfeit. The bills are five
inches by eight in dimensions. They
are never reissued from the bank, but
burned as soon as taken in. In send
ing money from one part of the coun-
try to another the note is generally cut
in two parts. and the pieces sent in
separate envelopes. The Bank of Ire
land note is in appearance and size
much the same, with the addition of
more scroll-work in the engraving.
German and Austrian currency bear
upon each bill warning against coun-
terfeiters, threatening penitentiary con-
finement to any one who shall make,
sell or have in their possession any
counterfeit or fac-simile of any of the
bills. The German bills are printed in
green and black upon paper lighter
than our gold certificates, and are
about an inch wider. They are in de-
nominations from marks, or 81. %, to
1000 marks, or $3.50. The currency of
Austria is printed in two languages,
German on one side and Hungarian on
the other, in order to accommodate
his Majesty's, Francis Joseph's, Mag
var subjects. The engraving is profuse
with artistic angel heads and rather
elaborate scroll-work. The bill is
printed on light-colored, thick paper,
but with none of the silk-fiber marks
nor geometric lines used ON our own
currency as protection against coun-
terfeiting. Some Of the more recently
issued German bills. however, are
printed on paper very similar to that
used for United States Treasury notes.
The smallest denomination in Austrian
currency is form, about 40 cents in
our money. The denominations are
from l form to 1000 florins. A no.
ticeable peculiarly is the fact that in
exchanging, Austrians or Hungarians
prefer the paper money of their own
country to coin, while German, Swiss
or French people invariably want coin
in preference to currency. The rea-
son for this is not known, unless it is
because the smallest bill in Austrian
currency is much smaller than the
smallest bill in currency of any other
country, and the common people be-
come more used to handling currency
there than in the others.
Banque de Franc notes look like
small show-bills. with their blue and
black lettering on white paper, orna-
mented with numerous neurological
pictures. The lowest denomination is
the 20:franc note and the largest is
1000 francs. Italian currency is is
sued in a great variety of sizes and
colors. The smaller bills, 3 and 10
lire notes, equivalent to 81 and 90 bills,
are about the same size as our old
'shinplaster' fractional currency, and
printed in pink, blue and carmine, on
white paper. The latest issues are
ornamented with q finely-engraved
vignette of King Humbert. The larger
notes are deliberately engraved and of
artistic design. The most striking bills
are those of Russia. The 1O0-ruble
bill is an elaborate affair, four by ten
inches in size, and barred from top to
bottom with every color of the rain
bow, blended as they are when thrown
through a prism, The center is orna-
mented with a large, tinely-engraved
vignette of Catherine /. The colors
used in printing are dark and light
brown and black. The engraving is
not elaborate, and the whole thing
looks like circus poster. The % and
30 ruble notes are much smaller and
not so gorgeously colored. The small
est denomination in Russian currency
is rubles, about $3.50 in United States
currency.
l. E. Hirsch, an attache of the
agency, has made a collection of q
number of currency curiosities. Among
these is one of the first bills ever issued
by the United States. This is 81 bill
issued in 1879, with these words printed
in four different kinds of type on one
side: The bearer is entitled to receive
four Spanish-milled dollars, or an equal