Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-04-17
MisfeiIaneous.
CoRnterfeittBg From . Treasury Stand
point
FILLING, PLUGGING, SWEATING AND
OTHER MEANS OF ADULTERATION.

FILLING, PLUGGING, SWEATING AND
OTHER MEANS OF ADULTERATION.
To a majority of mankind the way that
money is made and counterfeits are detect
ed is a mystery. We know that eagles
and Bland dollars are cast. or minted. and
put into circulation by The United States;
but Just how frauds are discovered and
how coins are ii led and plugged are ques-
tons that are frequently asked and seldom
answered Ii was for the purpose of learn
! ing some Of these facts that Glrbe re-
porter called on J. II. Vassar. chief clerk
of the sub-treasury in this city yesterday.
..Excepting fract onal silver. every coin
we receive passes through my hand" said
Mr. Vassar "Formerly we handled coin
BY weight. but by the present law | am
Obliged TO count it piece by piece. The
| $40 and $40 gold pieces are always put
| in bags of 5000; and the So. %. g so
and 3 pieces are generally put in bags
of $1,000, five of the latter being put in
one large beg when stored. We never
mix coin of different denominations in
one bag.
| The weights We now use are arranged
for amounts instead Of pounds. penny
wei hts. etc, as ,rmerly. There are Elk
| teen maximum weighs tor 5000 5000.
! $1,000. $1,000, $50. $500. 5000, 500.
$50, $50. $40 80. 50. 50. 81 80. and
! 81. Then we have set of minimum
weights for weighing single coin. For
example. the maximum weight OF $50
gold piece is 5l6 grains and the minimum
5l3 ~ grains-the difference exactly one
half of one per cent. is allowed by law.
We now have on hand rearly 100000 of
minimum weight gold coin-made so by
natural a;triton-which will be sent
to the mint and recoined, the gov.
eminent bearing the loss. We reject
coins that are less than the minimum
weight. and their own ers are obliged to
pass them, if they can, or sell them for
bullion"
"IIow can they pass them in any num-
Der ?"
There are men who consider them
selves reputable brokers that buy them
for shipment to Canada, where maximum
and minimum weights are not considered,
and they pass for their lace value. We
have stopped this in a measure by stamp
ing on the face of such as we get. the
word light 1t has been claimed that
this is muriation OF coin, but we continue
to do it. having never vet received orders
TO stop. We did it, you may say. in sell
defence. and it has certainly had the effect
of putting stop to much of the sale of
! light gold in Canada. Only the other day
bag came through one of our Boston
banks, from a bank in Halifax. containir g
5000 in light gold coin. 1t seems unjust
that the government should keep coin in
circulation so long as to bring loss to in
nocent holders. Some of it has been in
circulation fifty wears. There is now
comparatively little gold among the
banks, gold certificates having taken its
place Cold can be demanded for the
latter at any moment, and they are, of
course, much more easily handled than
gold"
"IIow about the obnoxious silver dol
lar?' asked the reporter.
1T is the vagabond of all coins. Take
$40 gold piece. stamp it and punch
holes through it at will and if you have
not detractad from its maximum weight.
it is worth its fa,e value to any gold beat,
er. Put as much as single letter upon
silver dollar and it is bullion. worth
from eighty three to eightv-six cents.
There is no provision for their redemp-
ton, and the more YOU have of them the
WI st Npu arc VII. otilltitu W say IHdl
silver of all denomina ions. for storage.
is put up il $1,000 bags"
You must be annoyed by counterfeits."
'Oh, yes, every denomination is coun.
tprieted There is but one counterfeit
$40 gold piece, dated 1850. 1t is made in
this way. A genuine double eagle is
sawn in two, one side being lett thicker
than the other. As much gold as possible
{ Al Il
mixture Of platinum and some other
metal substituted. to bring up the weight.
/ 1t is what is known as filled coin. and
is worth from 81 to IS. A $40 gold piece
| filled in the same way is worth from 50
to 81 80. There are also a number of $40
counterfeits. TIE dates of those filled or
countertelted are 1871 47-49 80 6l-75-79
and so. The most dangerous. perhaps. is
the one dated lS47. The first counterfeit
half eagle, or s. gold piece, that we know
of was issued in 800, and no less than %
| have appeared since then. some of them
absolutely worthless. and others worth
| from 81 20 10 81 63 each The latter.
dated 1882. are the most skllfulv execut-
ed cnunterfeils known. 1t is difficult to
see where the profit in them comes in, -
/ they are made from dies not cast. Coun-
| terteiters must buy the gold. which would
require considerable capital, and the ma
chinery is not only costly. but So large as
to render it liable to detection. it is very
different from the coun:erteiting silver
dollars. Anybody can do that All that
is required is a plaster cast of a genuine
coin, few dollars worth of type metal,
and a small battery for plating. A man
can make them right by his own fireSide,
and. if in danger of detection. can crush
the only evidence of his guilt. his cast, I'M
der his boot-heel. Strangely enough, for
several months past, we have found
between forty-six and fifty counterfeit
dollars each month. Look at these"
-(producing several very genuine
appearing coins). They were made by
Corey, the Lowell counterielter, who is
now in the State prison. They are the
best counterfeits of the kind ever discov-
cred. These were made in moulds. prob
ably OF antimonv and lead. and have a
slight coating of silver. They were de-
tected partly by general appearance, and
partly by difference in weight. To prove
to any one that the coin is bad we use the
mint test, which is composed of twenty
four grains of nitrate OF silver. thirty
drops OF nitric acid, and one ounce of
water. BY means of it we can detect any
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