The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-10

of gold. Thus the piece is reduced to
hollow shell in halves. 1t is then filled
with platinum, which is nearly as heavy
as the yellow metal and costs-at the
present market rate, though this varies
somewhat-less than one-half. Lead is
to light for the purpose The cut edge of
the reconstructed coin is disguised by a
rim of gold soldered on, and reeding
machine renews the corrugations of the
| mlntlng. The result is really a work
OF art, being a com bination of five differ
emit metals. Only an expert can distin-
gulsh anything wrong about it.
ONE METHOD EMPLOYED.
method somewhat similar, though
less artistic, is to substitute for the in
terror portion of gold piece core in
the shape of planchet of silver, the coin
being split for the purpose, as in the
other case. This process is employed al
most exclusively by Chinese. It's most
Important drawback is that the eagle or
light in weight. A better plan, though
somewhat laborious, is one desert bed
in previous letter by the writer. 1t
consists, in boring into the coin from the
edge so as to remove considerable part
OF its internal substance. In this man
ner about 81 worth of gold may be con-
| veniently removed from $40 piece, the
hole being filled with a metal compost
| tion and soldered at the opening with
gold. Numerous counterfeits of eagles
| and half-eagles are extant, cast in base
metal and gilded. Some of these are of
| platinum, for the sake of weight. The
| gliding process has been ingeniously
combined with sweating" BY suspend
ing in a tank at one end of a copper wire
| and a base metal counterfeit at the other
| end the criminal operator can transfer
coating of gold from the good coin to
| the bad one. By this method the bad
| coin obtains the appearance OF gold
| piece, while the real gold piece is rem
dered not less negotiable at face value.
| Of course this may be practlced with
many coins at once. The apparatus re-
| chemicals and a small battery. An cleo
trio light current will serve the pur-
| pose
The discover es of chemistry are of
great service to counterfeiters. Com
| paratively few false coins are issued now
a-days without an electro-plat;nQ of gold
or silver, which adds to their deceptive
| quality. In this way silver quarters,
| slightly altered as to lettering, are made
| to initiate gold eagles. while dimes are
| transformed in like fashion into half
! eagles. Fortunately for the currency.
practically all of the gold in circulation
in the United States passes every few
years through the treasury and subtreas-
uries. Every piece received at those
| institutions is weighed, and, if found
light in weight, is stamped with big
l.. Such coins are redeemed AS bullion.
They are sent to the minis. melted and
recoined. The people lose by their de-
| ficiency and not the government.
TO GIVE AGE TO COUNTERFEIT
NOTES.
| AS for paper money, the shabbiest is
apt to be regarded with the least suspic-
| ion. Accordingly counterfeiters make
use of various artificial processes for
giving an appearance of age to their
| notes. One method is to rub them over
| the body of sweating horse, thus satur-
atlng them with dirt and grease. An
other plan involves the use of tea leaves
| or coffee grounds. The grounds or
leaves are moistened and placed in a
book between two layers Of tissue paper.
Then against the tissue paper, but sepa-
rated by the latter from the grounds or
leaves, are placed the false notes. The
moisture soaks through the paper and
discolors the notes, giving them an an
cient and respectable appearance. To
return to the subject-the materials most
employed by criminal coiners for their
compositions are pewter, block tin and
solder. Each of them, however, has his
own special recipe. Pewter for the pur-
pose is usually obtained in the shape of
spoons.
The loss to the government by wear
and tear on silver coin in circulation is
considera BILE. 1t averages cents on
every dollar. Last year, as reckoned ON
pieces reminted, it amounted to $239, 1913.
Coin of the white metal is redeemed at
face value by the treasury as long as it
has not been willfully mutilated and re-
tains enough of it's design for Identified
ton. Congress makes an appropriation
annually for recoining abraded pieces
not, be it understood, to pay the cost of
min ting, but to square the cash account
of the treasurer of the United States.
He is only credited by the director of
the mint with the bullion value of the
worn pieces when he delivers them. On
the same account there was during the
last year loss by gold reminted Of 3d.
gold coins that have lost more than a
very small fraction of their weight,
which is termed the limit of tolerance.h
The Columbian coins, widely adver-
tised at the time of their issue, were a
sad failure. 1t was expected that people
would be eager to pay double their face
value in order to obtain them as curiosi-
ties. That this was mistake is proved
BY the act that 3,641,760 unsold half
dollars are now lying in the treasury.
Most of them were never taken out
while the rest have been returned for
redemption. They are to be recoined at
the expense Of the exposition manage
ment in order to protect the holders of
those which were actually purchased.
The 100000 souvenir 50-cent pieces
were made out of abraded silver coins
furnished by the treasury. For thelr
manufacture 50, $4,000 worth of such
coins was required, S40,0 900 having to be
added to compensate for loss by wear
Of the 10000 silver souvenir quarters
minted at the same time 15,8O8 still re-
main in the treasury. 1t is not known
what will be done with them. Washing
ton Star.
pQnIIIRiIION