The Evening post. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1888-1889, 1888-12-17

Captain William Hall of the United
States Secret Service and Detective Will
liam Wallace Of Philadelphia, formerly
a United States Mint expert, says the
Louisville C0Urter-JowadL, have been in
the city for the past week upon business
pertaining TO their calling, which only
leaked out last night Tho officers have
been at the Gait House until Monday,
when they made flying trip to Neoga,
Cumberland County, Ill. As n result of
their visit here and the publication Of
this story the arrest of two coin counter
feiters in Neoga will be prccipitated and
the business of coin dealer in this city
whose name is not divulged, will be
broken up.
During the last decade the love of nu-
mismatics has spread rapidly in this
country, and many thousands of dollars
of capital are tied up in collections of
coins by numsmatists. There are at
least 500 valuable collections of coins of
rare mintage in this country, and there
are at least $1,000 people who have small
collections and take u lively interest in
the tracing up and finding of rare coins.
Mr.. j. Il. II. Kelley, manager Of Louis
vile Hotel, has very remarkable col
lection, second to but few in the United
States. All of these coin collectors are
members of the Numismatists' Associa-
| ton, under the auspices of which auc-
ton sales are held and by whom rare
coins are registered with as much red
tape as the birth of valuable foal or
the dropping of blue-blooded Holstein.
A RARE COIN PROVES A COUNTERFEIT.
About six months ago, in the city of
Philadelphia, an auction sale of Ameri-
can coins. the collection of Mr.. Hamilton
Disston, a wealthy saw manufacturer
was extensively advertised, and upon the
specified date the sale was largely at
tended by numismatists from various
| sections of the country. The prize of
his collection was silver dollar of 1904,
during which year but six were turned
out from the United States minis. The
quoted value of this coin is $500, but
collectors ran it up much beyond this
price. For Mr.. Disston's 1904 dollar the
bidding was spirited, and it was finally
sold to a wealthy Philadelphia collector
for 81 100. Before paying for the coin
the purchaser took it over to the branch
United States Mint at Philadelphia and
| had it examined by the Government eX.
perts After the use of sundry acids the
dollar was put under powerful micro
scope and was discovered to be counter
felt. A dollar of 1903 which is quite
common had been used by the counter
felters. The figure eight had beer
punched out and the hole was plugged
with four, which made very clever
imitation of the 1904 dollar.
NUMIsMATIsTs ALARMED.
When this fact became known to the
Numismatists' Association it caused much
alarm and circulars were sent out to al
the members in this country. AS re
suit it was learned that eighty-thret
members of the association believed
themselves to be possessors of these six
valuable 1904 dollars. A meeting of the
association was held, and Detective Wal
lace was employed to work up the coun
terfeiting. The United States Score
Service also put Captain Hall on the case
and together the two detectives hav,
been working hard for three months
They discovered that there were severa
distributing or central offices for the dis
tribution of this spurious coin of ficti
tious value in this part of the country
and the detectives are convinced one o
them is located in this city. They vii
not divulge the name or the address o
the bogus coin dealer, but say he ha
either been knowingly putting out tn
counterfeits or has been imposed upoi
by the counterfeiters. The officer
, worked hard on the case, but were III
able to get tangible clue until las
/ mo