The sun., 1890-01-21
ARE YOUR DOLLARS GENUINE
HExICANs SAID TO mn c0UNTERFEITA
I'VE our aIkEER COIN

The Countsrfeit worth aa Much Intrin-
sieaily as the Genuine. but the Silver In
Each IL worth ORly 7B Cents, and Thata
where the Proat CsmeSaA for the CoinsrS.
Reports are current that sharp-witted citi-
Eens Of Mexico have been coming in Mexico
American silver dollars Of exactly the samo
weight and value as those bearing the genuine
stamp OF our Government and OF workmanship
equally good. The bullion In the American
silver dollar was worth yesterday little over
75 conts, though the coined dollar is made
legal tender for 100 cents The Mexican coin
ers are said to have been availinR themselves
on large scale OF this difference as II was re-
Gently reported that German coiners were do
ing with English silver coin. 1t 10 said that
this counterfeltinR or whatever It may be
called, has been going on for over two years,
and It is believed that those concerned In the
scheme have made profit Of over t6,00o,oo0.
These facts have, 1t seems, been talked OF
among a very few Wall street bankers and
dealers In specie, who are very ohary about al
lowing their names to get into print They
have tried, evidently. to Keep the matter secret
and not let 1t obtain any publicity until inves-
tigation had proved what basis II had. II has
leaked out, however. that bankers In the States
and Territories near the Mexican border have
had their suspicious aroused by the very large
number OF American silver dollars coming to
them from Mexico and have notified some OF
their correspondents here. The local banks In
shipments OF American silver dollars into Mex:
ice as would SeGount @ 1Sr ne % great aHanuy q
aRa SU,h IN navmntS Tor Goods nugcbssed on this
side OF tho border almost wholly In the silver
dollars Of this country, rarely producing the
The Intrinsic value Of the American silver
dollar varies. of course, with the price Of silver
RnoEa SEn as qs Se BBsnd doS and
grains of standard silver. 900 parts fine. With
SS HS ~ Hs taS Cents
passed. SUN reporter asked United States
eernipT tssse rumors ms S Mr. ROBBIE sSd '0
THE matter was brought to my attention q
Wall street. One Of them 10 a banker and the
other broker They tSld net me the 81 facts sub
fS~Ga TSoP aid mot Want 70 tell this se1tis%sRs
%G oWn names III They WV %er" little AFRAID that The
matter might turn out a loke. l told the gem
'Rsy wCud
cations to be made by the officers OF the secret
service. They told me that they would en-;
went away. l have heard nothing from them
since. and no knowledge Of the counterfeiting
has come to me In the course OF Office busi-
So far as the scheme itself is concerned Of
coming real American silver dollars, there Is
no doubt that 1t is entirely, practicable. The
Mexicans can produce excellent work kmanship.
and If they make our dollars. putting in the
they produce would un9uestionably deceive
all but the best experts. They could be gener-
ally %he9Sf sne
/ do question whether its operations haye
been at all extensive. There are great diff
dollars dollars IN cir circ1iation. These coiners Could
not give their dollars away. They would have
tions to put the dollars In circulation them
selves. You see what difficulties there are In
the way Of all this. l shall await further de-
Superintendent Mason Of the Government
Assay Office said that the workmsnship on the
E the Mexican dG se6eme S He said that when the
Bland Silver Dollar bill was under discussion
fSa r9pSs Re
required the purchase Of :20Oo,O0o worth Of
silver bullion every month for purposes OF Sill
Bankers and brokers down town with whom
at the
epecie houses in Val ssrset ' said that be had
to Hs sd that had
told Of q suspiciousIy large shipmsnt of Amor
out Of Mexico to this country. He said that it
was Q great business for MeXicans getting
drs rafRer than ther The
dollar having a commercial value much
grealer, with an actual value the same as the
Mexican. H. B. Hollins L Co.. the agents Of
the Mexican International Mortgage Bank
said that SO extensive scheme could hardly
be set on foot without the knowledge Of the
Mexican Government. and the detective syS-
tenn which had charge OF such matters in Mex
leo was almost perfect
Several bankers doubted whether Mexican
workmanship on the coins could be fine enough
to cause tho coins 10 pass into general circula-
ton Mexican workmanship on coins had
always been rather coarse. The sentiment Of
the majority OF bankers with whom THE SUN
reporter talked was, however. expressed In the
words of Mr.. Colgate OF NesslaRe i Colgate:
Mexican workmanship on coins has steadily
improved in recent years. l believe they can
make as good an American dollar as we eau.
l believe our Treasury officials would take the
coins the Mexicans make. 1t Is perfectly prac-
ticable. not only to make the real coins. but to
get them into general circulation. Why. within
the past six months some enterprising Ger
mans played precisely this same trick upon
the English people. The English half crown
Is worth nominally. about sixty cents. and
really. about iorty-flve cents. The Germans
flooded England with the, real half crowns.
pocketed the difference In the values and made
a big thing out OF 1t. The German half crowns
are now. believe. in actual circulationl In Eng
land"