The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-30
THE NEW SILVER CERTIFICATE.
Most Beautiful Piece Of Paper Money
Ever Isaued.

WASHINGTON CRY, Aug. 25.-iSpecial.l
The most beautiful piece of paper money
ever produced by the United States treas
ury is the new 81 certificate, first proofs OF
which on cardboard were shown me pri-
vately this morning at the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing. Although they
were Endorsed on the margin in Secretary
Fosters handwriting as approved" they
had not been previously exhibited to any
one, save few high officials of the depart
ment. Superintendent of Engraving CAST
lear regards this new promise TO pay as his
chef d'euvre and gleefully deiies the
counterfeiters to initiate it with success.
Their difficulty in performing such task
would unquestionably be greatly increased
by the circumstance that the distinctive
paper, directed by law 10 be used in future
! for the printing of all of Uncle Sans ne
gotiable securities is TO be employed as
meterial for the certificate in question for
the first time. The first batch Of it has
reached the treasury, and within six
weeks people will be carrying around in
their pockets 81 bills of fresh device.
1t is not true, as has been reported, that
new designs have been adopted for the GER
tificate mainly because there is a plausible
counterfeit of the present one in circula
ton. This fact has had influence in the
matter, but the change is made chiefly for
the reason that the face of the old bill is
not satisfactory, and it is thought just as
well to substitute a new picture at the
same time with the introduction of the
distinctive paper. The portrait on the
face of the present certificate of General
Hancock is not well adapted to its purpose
In the arrangement of light and shade, so
that after passing through few hands it
gets dim and is practically effaced. 1t
may fairly be said that paper money OF
small denominations requires more care
full execution than is necessary for larger
bills, inasmuch as it must go through so
much more wear and tear. Two-dollar
bills, it is thought, have quite as much
handling to suffer as those for 81 each. be
cause they are SO convenient in making
change, and manufacturers use them to a
great extent IN paying of.
The new 81 silver certificate is really
work OF art in the highest sense. In the
middle OF its face is an oval portrait of the
late Secretary Window, with his name be-
meath, which in point of life-like quality
and effectiveness of execution is I'M
equalled by any other production OF the
sort printed on treasury securities since
the manufacture of paper money in this
country was first begun. The rest of the
design consists merely of the conven-
tional legend gracefully drawn in letter
ing, with figure 2 in each corner, sur
rounded by some cirliques of the geomet-
ric lathe.
OF geQmetric lathe work the back is a
wonder. Nothing so elaborate IN this sort
OF mechanical engraving, which is the dis
pair OF the counterfeiter, has been pro-
hnptO H. Klna% 81
paper money IN any country of the world.
The counterfeiter will find this new certifi-
cate more difficult subject tor
imitation than he has ever vet encountered.
People have asked: why should not
the counterfeiter himself procure a geo.
metric lathe?" So he could, very easily;
but to reproduce with its aid the patterns
he would initiate is an impossibility as alb
soiute as would be that of undoing the
lock OF Formulation safe without the
formula. If you will for a moment gaze
upon the complicated, concentric and &C.
centric devices on the reverse side of any
United States note or certificate, consider
ing that they can only be reproduced by
arduous copying with engraving by hand,
you viii perceive under what difficulties
the luckiess forger of Uncle Sans promises
to pay is compelled to labor. Certain
newspaper reports have circulated the
notion that this unhappy victim OF
mania for Imitation can ease his toll with
PHOTOGRAPHIC and other processes, but the
fact is that he finds all such assistance of
little use.
The back of the new certificate is en-
graved with view to showing as con-
spicuously as possible the two stripes OF
SILK hbre, each about as wide as ones
tnunD, that run across the paper on whlc h
the designs are to be printed, dividing the
length of each bill into three parts. For
TINS purpose portions of the surface are
lett white. In the middle is an oval, con-
tanning legend. on either side of which
Is an elaborate piece of lathe work with
big Inquire ''2' in the center and little
twos" scattered about at points where
the lines converge. There are other fea-
lures OF the design including some very
dlfhcult small lettering, which are intended
to embarrass the counterfeiter.
saw ream of the distinctive paper at
the treasury department today. 1t
looked somewhat like fine quality of note
paper, foolscap size, with two bands OF
closely scattered red and blue tlbers run
ming from top to bottom Each sheet
was intended for the printing of four GER
tificates or notes. The tbers are merely
silk threads, bought from New I ork I'M
porting nrm by the contractor VINO works
for the treasury, cut into lengths OF
quarter OF an inch, and run through the
paper sheets. No little difficulty was
found at lrst in making the process salts
factory, and the government pays some
what more for this material than 1t used TO
for the plain article.