Wichita eagle., 1890-01-30
MONEY IN MANY LANDS.
oECULIARITlES IN THE PAPER CUR
RENCIES OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

Plain Bank of England Note in It's Simple
Black and Picturesque Ourren-
| cies of France, Russia and ItaIy-China's
! It was quaint little old man whom met
some days ago in little, foreign looking
money changers shop near Bowling Green.
He might have played Sbylock without
making up, with his patriarchal white beard
and hair, his keen black eyes and curved
nose, but very amicable and good natured
| Shvlock | found him, with not a suggestion
in his manner of any desire to exact even an
ounce of flesh for the time took in asking
curious questions about the currencies OF all
nations found the old man peculiarly apt
in the information ! asked. He had handled
money in nearly every capital in Europe.
GOOD AS GOLD EVERYWHERE
'This," he said, as he picked up Bank Of
England note, sis the plainest piece OF cur
rency to be found in any country IN the
world, and it is good for gold in any land
under the sun where white men or yellow
live"
The Bank of England note is about five
inches by eight in dimensions, and is printed
in black ink on Irish linen water-l1led paper,
plain white and with ragged edges, which
lacks the oily smoothBess of our own bank
notes.
cit looks easy enough to counterfeit re-
marked my ancient guard, but, in fact, the
Bank of England suffers as little from coun-
terfeiters as any similar institution in the
world The notes are never reissued but
tI,ay- hnpt tn q
bank, and the paper is made for that sole pur-
! pose, and that is the greatest safeguard. In
sending note by mail or express, the note
is always cut in two and the halves sent sep
arately.
''The showiest currency to be found out
side of China are the notes Issued by the
Banque de France he continued, as he
picked out a piece of paper that resembled a
small show bill. The paper itself is white
water lined, printed in blue and black, with
numerous NEUROLOGICAL and ailegoyical pic
lures, and running in denominations from
the twenty franc note to the goo franc.
''Not easy to counterfeit, but far from ar
tistic,n was the remark of the old man, as he
pulled out a variety of Italian notes OF all
shapes, sizes and colors. The smaller bills
five aud ten lire notes-are about the size and
shape of our own old twenty-five cent ''shin-
plaster" fractional currency, and printed ON
white paper in pink, blue and carmine inks,
and ornarlentcd with a finely engraved
vignette of KING H1mbert. Tho larger
notes are about the size Of our ''greenbacks,"
and are elahorately engraved, but to my eye
they are neither beautiful nor artistic They
are worth more away from home than they
were few years ago, though, owing to King
Humbert's wise rule.
But here is your elaborate bank note"
continued the old man, as he brought to light
a gorgeous piece of paper about inches by
TO- 1t was the hundred ruble note of Russia
The note vas barred from top to bottom with
all the colors Of the rainbow, blended as when
thrown through prism. IN the center in
bold relief stood large, finely executed
vignctte Of the Empress Catherine l. This
was in black. The other engraving was not
at all intricate or elaborate, but was well
done in dark and light brown and black inks.
'sThe Russians look upon that as the height
of artistic work, said Shylock, land it has
one merit. The paper is made by secret
process, and the note has never been counter
feited 1t Is also worth its face value in ev-
cry capital in Europe and Asia. The smaller
Russian notes, the twenty-five and fifty ruble
bills, are about one-third smaller and not as
gorgeously colored. The smallest denomina-
ton in Russian currency is five rubles, about
S. so in United States currency"
IN TWO LANGUAGES
"Here is peculiar BILL but a very good
idea, l think" continued the money changer,
as he showed me another bill This is from
Austria, and, like all his majesty Francis
Joseph's currency, is in two languages. On
one side it is Austrian and on the other Hun
garian, for the benefit of the Magyars."
The bill was printed On light colored
thick paper which showed none of the sill,
fiber marks or geometric lines used in our
currency, as protection against counterfeit
ing. But, like the German currency, each
bill bears upon it terrible warning to ccun-
terfeiters, threatening the penitentiary con-
finement ito any one who shall make, sell or
have in his possession any counterfeit or fac
smile of this bill" The engraving is profuse
with angel heads and artistic scroll work
The lowest denomination III currency is the
one form, worth about forty cents of our
money. The highest bill Is the 900 form
note.
The German currency is rather artistic.
The bills are printed in green and black upon
paper llSnteT budu wv goa
and about an inch wider. They run in de-
nominations from five marks to !, 900 marks
Their later bills are being printed on the silk
fiber paper.
The Norwegiens have a curious currency,
but it is rarely seen here, for the reason that
it circulates very little among the common
people and the class that comes here as irnmi-
grants. These stick to their copper and sill
yer coins and shun the little cinnamon brown
bills of their government, which are about
the size of our old ''sninplasters"
The Chinese paper currency is III red white
and yellow paper, with gilt lettering and
gorgeous little baad drawn devices The
bills to the ordinary fnancier, might pass for
wash checss or prayer papers in JOSS bouse,
but they are worth good money in the Flowery
Kingdom. South American currency III most
countries Is about the size and general ap-
pearancs of our own bills, except that CHINA
mon brown and slate blue are the prevailing
colors and the Spanish AID Portuguese Ian
guages the prevalent language engraved on
the face.-New YORK Star.
A RE0is4ENTAL- MAGPTE.
His Antics Would Upset Almost Every
thing in the ARMY CaYuu.