The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-06-07
NUMBER 20
TO DETECT COUNTERPART COINS.
An Ex-Treasury EmpIOye GIves
some Valuable HInIs-DescrIptIon OF
the Various Frauds,

r TO DETECT COUNTERPART COIN,
An EN-Treasury EmpIoye Give
Some Valuable HInIs-DeaeriptIon G
= the Various Frauds,
You would be surprised i'll shoul
: give you some idea of the kinds q
queer coins circulating in this oity
said MIR. William Dickerman. an ex
treasury employe. but now publisher O
! Detector.
Most people, continued Mr.. Dicker
man, DO not pay the same attention t,
small coins that they pay to bank notes
II the bogus coin looks. all right it il
taken without any examination. Ther
again, spurious coins are made more
easily than notes. Besides requiring {
large amount of skill, it takes even &
good engrs yer five or six months to fin.
lsh the plates of a bank nots. But
mOulds of various kinds can be made
within a week or two at very little ex.
pense. Most of the counterfeit silver is
made from moulds. The most danger.
Gus counterfeits are those struck from a
dle, but these are mostly among the
bogus gold coins.
will show you the best samples of
queer gold and silver coins. Now,
strange to say, there is no first-rate
counterfeit of the double eagle. There
IS a fair counterfeit of the eagle bearing
date 1855. 1t has very fine appear
ance, but as you see here, when the
gold plating is worn off it leaves the
white metal underneath exposed. OF
the S5 gold piece there are several very
dangerous counterfeits. The 1874 coun-
terteit was assayed and found to con-
tain Al worth of gold Consequent
1t resisted acid test about as well as
the genuine. Perhaps the most danger
GUS counterfeit $5 gold piece is the one
dated 1881 and 1882. This counterfeit
coin failed to pass the sharp eyes of
John IL. Vassar of the Boston Sub
Treasury. 1t was sent to the United
States Mint and there analyzed. Its as
ay value is SAB. The reeding and
milling are exceedingly we'll done.
Most of the coin counterfeits are made
in moulds, but this one was, without
doubt, struck from die prepared by
what is known as the drop process.
There are great number of very
clever counterfeits of the quarter eagle
or $3.50 piece. The one bearing the
1852 date is the most dangerous. II con-
tains only 81 cents worth of gold and
yet its size and weight are correct. The
best acid tests have failed to reveal its
bogus nature, The other counterfeits
are mostly composed of brass or plati-
mum and then heavily gold plated.
What are some of the best counterfeits
Of silver money?
Here, for example, is trade dollar
dated 1877 having mint marks Sand G..
Z. 1t is only three grains lighter than
the genuine coin, Its composition is
silver, mercury and German silver. The
very best way to detect these counter
teits is by the ring. A good ear will
distinguish the sound at once.
Then, again, there is the Bland or
standard dollar, first coined in 1873. A
number of clever counterfeits of this
coin have come into my possession.
which, although made in a mould, have
a fine general appearance. They all
come nearly up to full weight. averag-
ing from $50 to 4l0 grains. They are
composed of antimOny and lead, and
plated heavily with silver. The ring is
almost the same as the genuine.
Listen to this keen sharp ring. said
Mr.. Dickerman as he threw down a Sill
yer half dollar. Doesn't that sound as
if it contained glass?
We'll that is q counterfeit of 1876.
This coin is nearly full weight and size.
But the milling and reeding, and espec-
lally the. lettering Of the word liberty
on the shield of the goddess are some
what defective.
OF small coins, there. are more queer
nlckels than any other kind. All the
counterfeiter has to do is to read the act
OF 1856 to find the composition of the al
10y, aud then he Can strike off coins of
the same metal as the genuine nickel at
profit of 354 cents each. Those bear
ing the date of 1875 are well calculated
to deceive, although the lettering in the
words United States, is imperfect and
the stars surrounding the figure five are
not well done.
The devices used to make these small
COINS are often exceedingly ingenius.
Last year the chief of the secret ser
vice captured money making machine
that turned out nickels almost fast as
nail machine turns out nails. 1t would
seem as II every one engaged in the
queer business had different way of
liking the stamps and making the COM
pOSllIOll.
Is there any other way of making
coins queer besides the use of dies or
mouldsP
Yes there are several ways of doctor
ing coins. The most common process
is plugging This done by boring holes
in the coins, extracting the gold and fill
ing in the cavity with cheaper metal.
Only the larger gold coins are used for
this purpose. The holes are bored into
the coin from the edge or reeding and
afterward covered with gold. The reed
ing is then retouched' where it has been
removed, by file or machine made
for this purpose. A coin that has been
plugged is well calculated to pass the
sharpest eye, as it has a perfect appear
ance, only the edge showing the least
sign of being queer
Another process is called sweating.
This is done by removing a portion of
the gold from the surface of the coin by
an acid bath. The reduction in value
of such coins is from one tenth to one
fifteenth. Of course the coin subjected
to such a process has fair appearance.
the weight only being short,
There is still another process called
hlling. This is often by saving the coin
through the edge or reeding, removing
the interior and putting in cheaper ma
terial Filling is done by saving the
coin partly in two from the edge or
reeding, on one side leavinga thin and a
thick portion. The thin side ofthe coin
is turned back and the gold taken out
from the thicker side. The cavity is
filled with a cheap substitute and the
sides Dressed back and brazed together.
Thus the coin may loose over one-halfI
OF its value and still present good ap-
pearance. Platinum is mostly used to
replace the gold extracted both being
of the same weight. When other and
less costly filling than platinum is used,
the bogus coin will be light weight and
will usually have bad ring.