The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-19
coUNTERFEITINa ANCIENT COINS.

other side appeared the inscription. "Value
me as you please"
CONTEMPLATING ANCIENT COINS.
In modern times the counterfeitinG of an
cient coins has been a recognized art, prac-
ticed by famous experts. Their produc-
tions, even when known as such, have COM
manded high prices Almost all kinds of
rare coins are Initiated successfully to-day,
so that IL is very difficult for any one not a
conuoisseur TO Distinguish the real from the
false. Mock reproductions Of the United
State dollar of 1904 are plentiful on account
of the great value OF that piece. Not more
than ten genuine dollars of this date
are known to-day, and they are not
for sale. being held by collectors
who value such a specimen beyond
price Probably $4,000 might be offered
for one In vain. OF course there are ever
so many countefeits and altered dates ex-
tant, the most common being the dollar Of
1901 altered into 1904. Fortunately, experts
are not easily deceived by such palpable
cheats.
MAKING CHANGE.
Until recently, when the practice was for
hidden by law, the Mexicans cut their
silver coins into pieces for small change.
The same practice was followed in the
United States early in the present century,
and in Virginia it was customary to make
five quarters out of each dollar by hammer
ing it out preliminary to chopping it into
segments with a Ratchet or other instru-
ment. The ''reediugn or corrugation on
the edges of modern coins, commonly but
incorrectly termed milling" was originally
adopted as a protection against the clip
ping Of metal money. which formerly was
source of profit to many dishonest
persons,
DUCTILITY OF GOLD.
One Of the qualities which has rendered
gold most available for coming is its
wonderful ducbility. This may be illust-
rated by the fact that a single grain of the
metal can be made to cover a space of fifty
six square inches, and the same quantity
can be drawn into a wire 500 feet long.
The amount of gold contained in a so
piece will perfectly gid a silver wire
stretching from New York to Chicago. 1t
Is interesting TO know that every ton Of sea
water holds grain of gold and that the
walls Of the brick houses in Philadelphia
contain many millions of dollars of the pre-
cious metal. Gold is distributed every
where. the only difficulty being to separate
it probably from the other substances
with which it is found combined in nature
The museums collections contain num-
Der OF buttons of gold and silver, eaca
stamped with the government seal, which
serve as coins in Siam. Also there are
specimens of the "hook money" of silver,
which used to circulate largely in Indian, be-
ing nothing more than silver wire bent
into shape resembling f1shhooks.
SHE'LL MONEY.
The collections of the National museum
would be incomplete il they did not contain
specimens of the shell money, which
served as q substitute for coins as means
OF exchange ages before the precious metals
were discovered. IL seems strange to find
thix form Of cash ukiIized m kbia dow ~
many nations In Southern Asia, IN the
islands of the Indian and South Pacific
oceans, and in many parts of Africa. In
those regions the ''cowry" shell is the
one chiefly employed, for the reason that it
is Of a convenient size and the natural sup
ply Of it is limited SO that one cowry she'll
may be considered to represent definite
amount of labor In the process of finding
and there is no material chance of a sudden
imitation of the currency by the discovery
of great deposit OF cowries. One
hundred cowries are worth cents.