West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-12-25
MANY MONEYS.
Some or the Peculiaritics OF tho Paper
Currency OF Di0crcnt Countries.


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 rOturn % En-
ropo who wish to exchange American
money for that OF their own country.
Ordinarily the agency keeps up its sup
ply by exchanging United States eur.
rcncy with the immigrants of various
nationalities who reach here with
money of their own country in thelr
possession. But in the spring, when
there Is rush of returning immigrants
going home for visit, etc, the supply
sometimes runs short, and foreign
banks have TO b. drawn upon.
The Bank of England note Is printed
on Irish linen water-lidod paper plain
white and with ragged edges. The
paper lacks the smooth, oily feeling of
our own currency. and the plainncss OF
the lettering and the entire absence Of
any coloring excepting black and
white makes the bin in appearance
easy to counterfeit. The bills are five
inches by eight in dimensions. They
are never rCissucd from the bank, but
burned rs 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 I'm
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-
tertciters, threatening pcnitcntiaiy Y com
iinement 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 ia
green and black upon paper lighter
than our gold certificates, and are
about an inch wider. They are i'm de-
nominations from marks, or 81 .25, to
1000 marks, or $3.50. The currency of
Austria is printed in two languages,
German on one side and Hungarian on
the other, i'm order to accommodate
his Majesty's, Francis Joscph's, Mag
var subjects. The engraving is profuse
with artistic angel heads and rather
elaborate scroll-work. The bill is
printed on a light-colorcd, thick paper,
but with none of the silk-fber marks
nor geometric lines used on our own
currency rs protection against coun-
terfelting. Some of the more recently
issued German bills, however, arc
printed on paper very similar to that
used for United States Treasury notes.
The smallest denomination in Austrian
currency is | lorin, about 40 cents in
our money. The denominations are
from florin TO 1000 forms. A no
tinnnhla naniliarilV l. ha 40 -,
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 il =
because the smallest bill i'm 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 mythOlogical
pictures. The lowest denomination is
the 2O-franc note and the largest is
! 200 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 S2 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 a fnely-engraved
vignette OF King Humbert The larger
notes are elaborately engraved and of
artistic design. The most striking bills
are those of Russia The lOO-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-
mentcd with q large, fncly-cngravcd
vignette Of Catherine l. The colors
used I'm printing are dark aud light
brown and black The engraving is
not elaborate, and the whole thing
looks like a circus poster Tho - and
% ruble notes are much smaller and
not so gorgeOusly colOrcd. The small
est denomination in Russian currency
is D rubles, about $500 in United States
currency.
l. r. Hirsch. an attache Of the
agency, has made collection of
number Of currency curiOstics Among
tnese iN one OF the iirst bills ever issued
by the United States This is - bill
issued in l77g, with these words printc,
in four different kinds Of type on one
side THE bearer is entitled to receive
four Spanish-milled dollars, or an equaJ
amount in gold or silver, according to
q resolution of Congress of January,
l779.' The reverse, in addition 20
some cOarsclyenGaved scroll-work
bears the inscription. Printed by Hall
Il Sellers. Four Dollars, 1879 -Four
Dollars"
Another bill is one Of the notes issued
by Louis Kossuth in 1852, when he was
working 20 achieve Hungarian indie
pendence. The bills were issued from
New York when Kossuth came 90 this
country for the purpose of raising %
fund. They are payable on demand,
the first year Of the establishment Of
the independence Of Hungary. Pits