The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-28
COUNTERFEIT MONEY.
METHODS THE BANK TELLERS HAVE
FOR DETECTING IT.

money as a business are compelled to have
a very thorough familiarity with the ap-
pearance of every genuine note. Counter
feits do not appear until after the genuine
has been some time in use and every part
Of it is well known.
at is not so wonderful then that after
his daily familiarity with the appear
ance of a note the first deviation from it
should attract attention. Exactly what it
is that does expose the couTfSrfeit the best
experts find it difficult TO Scll. They say
they know it instinctively. They judge
not only by the looks of a note, but by the
feel Of it.
1T is obvious that a counterfeit note
must be widely circulated to make it
profitable. No sooner does counterfeit
appear than its description is widely pub
lished. Those who are likely to suffer by
taking counterfeit notes make it their
business to be on the outlook for new
counterfeits, which are soon distinguish
able by some easily discovered mark. A
teller knows Just what denomination of
notes has been counterfeited, and just
where to look for the tell tale marks. He
notices the counterfeit as easily as a reader
notices mispelled word. 1t is no particu-
lar effort 1t is a habit, and becomes a
second nature.
INFERIOR QUALITY.
Zone and the main reason why counter
feits are easily detected is because in some
feature they are almost uniformly of in
ferior quality. This is, indeed, the main
protection of the public. Genuine notes
are engraved and printed almost regard
less of cost, and the very best materials
are used in the engraving and printing.
1t is done in large establishments with
costly materials and the best workmen.
1t is practically impossible for counter
feiters to do work as well. They must
work in secret and at a disadvantage, and
Of necessity cannot have the experience to
produce such perfect work.
''If they get the engraving done nicely
they fail in the printing; or, if they get the
engraving and printing done well. they fail
in securing the proper paper. OF late years
there has been good deal of care taken to
get paper manufactured expressly for the
notes issued by the government The ma
tional bank notes are also issued by the
government, so that the sources of supply
for exactly that kind of paper are con-
trolled.
Before the war it was much more diff
cult than it is now to detect bad money.
There were then many kinds of bad mo-
ney. There were wildcat banks whose
notes were of 10 value of the same name
as good banks, and the wildcat notes were
of the same form as the good notes. Then
there were many altered notes from lower
to higher denominations.
"The use Of greenbacks, or any backs at
all, was rare, so that the counterfeiter had
but one side of a note to counterfeit OF
late years the paper is covered front and
back with the figures of the denomination,
so that alteration from a lower TO higher
denomination is rare. Before the war by
actual computation four-ffths OF the bank
note issues were cOUnterfeited
BOGUS MONEY IL 1850.
"There were in circulation in 1860 actual
" 3,039 different kinds of bad money, and
1t was estimated that about 500. 900 900 of
it was afloat.
'When the necessities Of the war led to
the government issue Of paper money all
these old banks went out Of existence, and
the old counterfets went out with them.
1t was great boon to the business COM
munity to have the old stuff wiped out
and the new, clean currency put into cir
culation that was current all over the
Union. It was some years before success
full counterfeits appeared.
THE first issue of the national bank notes
of the denomination Of s. was practically
not counterfeited for fifteen years. Even
taking all the denominations of national
bank money and all the varieties of money
issued by the government, the number of
these varieties is trifing compared with
the immense number of banks before the
war whose notes were all different.
1T is true we have more banks now, but
il must be remembered that the notes OF
each denomination issued by all the ma
tional banks, OF for them, are all alike ex-
cept the titles The changes have been few
and many years apart. When a teller
learned the appearance Of the first notes of
the denomination of 81 issued to the ma
tional banks it was some years before ne
saw counterfeit, and OF course he de
tected the counterfeit almost by instinct.
when it Is considered how many mill
ions OF dollars OF the same sort are issued
by the government it is wonderful that
the genuine plates are not oftener used for
the purpose Of printing unauthorized IS
sues. OF course it Is pretended that the
safeguards OF the bureau OF engraving and
printing are 20 great that no such wrong
could Oe done
USING OLD PLATES
But there Is a well authenticated case
where tie printer actually did print from
the genuine plates without discovery while
being watched by a bank officer Some
years ago there was famous suit in which
the government financial agents in New
York claimed 10 have redeemed {. certain
issue which proved 20 be unauthorized.
and the experts were very much in conflict
rs 10 whether the issue was actually coun-
terieit or printed from govern ment plates.
Ii was finally decided b. a jury that the
Issue was counterfeit, although some repu-
table experts swore that II was printed from
The government plates.
when YOU look AZ II q moment It is not