The Washington critic., 1890-03-11
PRIVATE MARKS ON COINS.
There Are Two of Them on Every
Genuine silver Dollar.


FromHe Neio Tork Saa.
David III. Carvalho, the well-known
expert in handwriting, recently told a
Sta reporter some interesting facts
about silver dollars, referring particu
larly TO two singular marks on the
American silver dollar which 1t isdoubt.
full if more than one man in 10000 has
ever noticed. One of these marks is
known to some extent among bank
tcllers and other people who have to
handle specie professionally. But the
other mark is almost wholly unknown.
Neither of the marks was known to
anybody save the designer of the die of
the Bland dollar until years after the
dollar began to be coined. The Sun re-
porter with whom Mr.. Carvalho COM
municated found that even the officials
at the Government Assay Office and
Sub.Treasury were entirely ignorant of
the existence of the marks, and had to
write TO the Director of the Mint at
Philadelphia before he got definite in.
formation as TO just what the marks
meant, and how they came to be placed
on the dollar.
One mark, "M," is on the diverse
face Of the coin, indented on the raised
edge of Liberty's neck, just where the
hair curls around beneath. The place
of this mark on most of the coins rem
ders IL more clearly distinguishable
than the other marks 1t is less liable
to get rubbed Off in the first place. The
other IN" is on the reverse of the coin,
stamped on the left curve of the knot
of ribbon that binds the wreath to-
gether Both these "NIs" are indented
upon the coin, while all the letters there
except the word Liberty" are raised.
The director Of the mint at Philadel.
pbia Is authority for this statement re-
garding the meaning of the Ms:
THE letter M sunk into the silver
dollar in two places represents the
initial of the name of Mr. Morgan, the
designer and engraver of the die. This
initial is on every dollar. 1t was not
noticed by the public for some. years.
There is similar engraver's mark on
the neck of the diverse of the double
eagle, j. i. L. Mr. Longaker was
the designer and engraver of the
double eagle.
Now for Mr.. Carvalho's story:
I'm December last" said he, II was
summoned down to Montgomery. Ala.
to testify in case ON trial there. 1t
was very important case, and half the
banks officers in Alabama, I guess,
were summoned as witnesses or eX
perts on one side or the other. The
witnesses were not allowed in the court
room, except when testifying. We all
had to wait outside in an ante-room.
The trial lasted ten days, and we had a
weary wait Of it.
Now, had noticed down South the
great frequency of the silver dollars.
1t was almost impossible to get bills in
change. Sitting with the bank Officials
out in the little ante room, commented
on this fact, and the bank men said
that the negroes could not tell the diff.
ference between $40 bill and 81 bill
and wanted all their money in silver Sc
that they would not cheat themselves
! thereafter. / had just got $50 bill
changed and had nineteen silver dol.
lars TO lug around in my trousers
| pockets. took out some of the dol
lars and asked the bank men if they
had ever seen the ipdented Ms upon
them. The men said they had not, and
took out my pocket microscope and
proceeded to show the Ms.
'To my intense surprise, on the first
doller thatI took up the Ms were
missing. | have locked at 900 silver
dollars, Uprobably, and the Ms had
been upon each one. examined the
dollar with high-power glasses, but the
Ms were plainly not there. ] woulC
have Immediately pronounced the dol
| lar a counterfeit one had IL not bppn nj
right in other respects. 1t had the true
ring and feel and weight. I examined
all Of the nineteen silver dollars in m,
possession, and / found six that did no
have the little Ms upon them.
singular thing was that they were all o
the date of 1886. This chance circum
stance goes great way, to my mind, {,
show that somebody is coming on
silver dollars and making the % pc
cent. profit"