Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-31
HANDLING THE QUEER.
BAD MONEY THAT PASSES
THROUGH BANK WINDOWS.

nAEu 10 OclCCE-0AlNGE OuAAAEA anu
Halt Dollars the Queer-Maker's Ia
yorite Coin.
"Do you get many counterfeit coins or
notes now 2" asked a NEWS reporter OF u
bank cashier a few days ago..
"We do not take very many" he re-
piled, ''but there is hardly a day that
some one does not offer bad money at the
window"
81 must confess, however" he added,
s'that we do frequently receive spurious
coins or notes Internationally. When we
are hurried with n number Of dcp0sitors
and creditors waiting at the window we
do not have time to more than glance at q
pile OF com. A common trick with a good
many is to throw down a large pile all in
n heap when they have a coin OF which
they are suspicious"
"Do you keep the bad money when you
detect ity'
''That would be a dead loss, wouldn't
itf" the bank man said, with a semi
wink.
"If a counterfeit is good enough TO pass
on us, it is generally good enough 10 cir
culate. OF course we are occasionally
stuck. Recently we had occasion TO send
a. AnNAAHAAAAAA A0AAAAb III DAANAA W AAA
su~b-Treasury. The whole amount was
carefully counted over, aud perhaps
twenty pieces were rejected. " hen the
money was examined at the sub-Ireas-
Qry eight or ten we're picked out there"
(which is counterfeited most, paper or
coini" asked the News
''Specie now, l think. Such rare skill
is required to engrave a good plate for
printing notes that very few persons hay-
ing the talent will take this risk. There
has been improvement In counterfeiting
as In everything else. Tn old process
of ~phOtographinR both sides OF n note and
then working up the cOlors by hand with
pen and brush has been superseded by a
new process In which ph0tOgraphing and
printing from engraved blocks is COM
bined. This latter process is said to be
more dangerous than the old One.''
'Is there much difficulty in detecting
the notes?"
"As a rule, there is not when they are
closely examined. The high denomina-
tions-$l00, $500 and $1,000 nOtes--are the
best executed. There are always a num-
Der oil deviations between the genuine and
the spurious which the counterfeiter
makes, either through carelessness or
lack of skill"
During the conversation the gentleman
stated that coins made from plaster of
Paris molds lack the ring which those
have that are struck in a die, but are
likely TO more closely resemble the genu-
Inc in appearance. limitations of some
foreign coins have been struck by the
legal dies that were stolen from the mints,
but SO far as known this has never hap
pened in the United States. The
counterfeit coins made Of copper and
other alloys are generally secured
with aqua ammonia or boiled in diluted
sulphuric acid. That is called picking"
and produces a surface of hne silver, the
liquid dissolving the copper. The bright
surface will not wear long, however, un-
less the "pickling' is thoroughly done
Among the metals that are used by max
ers of the 'squ6erv are platinum, silver,
copper, iron, brass, bronze, anthony,
bismuth, with alloys of zinc, nickel and
tin, to give the color.
whats the process OF castlngP the
reporter asked.
"Really, l never had any experience"
the gentleman smilingly replied. "It is,
however, the simplest method and pretty
well understood. After taking a com
plete cast in plaster of paris the mold is
moderately baked, and when firm, the
melted composition is poured INTO it and
allowed 10 cool. When the metal has
hardened, it Is removed, and II
a good imitation, it is finished up, wash
Ell in a solution OF silver, or silver electro
plated. Such counterfeits have not the
ring and are mostly under weight A few
of the more scientific cOunterfeiters use
the electro galyanic current and make a
uniform electro deposit of copper in a
matriX."
do the counterfeiters show a prefer
ence for any particular denomination of
speeie?"
apparently not, for / believe every
coin from the old half-penny TO the double
eagle has been initiated. There are nu-
merons cOunterfeits OF the eagle, three
dollar gold piece, quarter eagle, gold dol
lar, standard silver dollar aud
dime, silver Sc. piece, nickel 5
cent and 3 cent pieces, and even the small
copper and bronze l cent pieces have
been extensively corrupted. The silver
half dimes and 20 cent pieces were lever
counterfeited to any extent, and the coin
age Of both has been discontinued.
''fhe standard silver dollar has been
counteffeited ever since 1894, when 10 was
first coined. A good counterfeit Of the
standard dollar OF 1873, made OF German
silver and plated heavily, has been clrcu-
lated quite extensively. 1t 1t not near SO
heavy As the genuine though. The genu-
ine dollar of 1878 puzzled even experts
when nrst issued. On some OF the coins
there were seven feathersin the eagles tail
ana on Oluers eight teatleTS. There were
a few other minute differences, and. for
awhile, II ~as believed tina one of the
v was not genuine, but It WAS ascer-
tanned that the artist who cut the dies
made the change purposely, n that the
dies were slightly different. Counterfeit
trade dollars were extensively passed IN
China and Japan n the East Indies
soon after the genuine were put in circu-
iation.
''ihe silver half dollar has been fear
fully counterieited, and some OF the
spurious coins are wonderfully well eX-
ecuted, n have a sharp, Keen ring like
glass, and, In tact, pulveriZed glass Is
sometimes mixed with the composition.
The most dangerous limitations OF the sill
Yer hall 0llar are those OF tS4l, 1912,
1913, 1850, 1872, 1876, 1877. All Of these
are made OF compound metal or brass,
struck IN a die, and heavily silyer-plated.
After they wear awhile thew get a hrazen
color. Those Of 1871, 1912 and 1872 are eN-
act In weight and size, and canuU; De- de-
tected by gauges. Great numbers of SOC.
pieces made Of silver. copper ana zinc,
and intrinsically worth lIc.. have beer
passed, 50 you see that there Is money in
IT,"
CLEARER SKIES PREDICTED.
The Weather Clerk Predicts that the
RmNuw small a. EauvTw nv.r