The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-12-27
CROOKED COINS.
Criminal Operations In Doctoring
Uncle Sam's Currency.
How skiilful Manipulators Derive Large
Profits fror3 Clipping, Saving,
Gouging, Boring and Gliding
Gold Pieces.

ASSChtAy OCCh supp CooCu OJ CA-OhACA
Drummond. It first came to my atten-
tion early last year, says a New York
Herald writer. ! refer to what was
known as the "coin sticker," which
made possible the extraction Of, with
out discovery, part of the silver in
coin. The inventor of this "coin
sticker," which was an advertisement
printed on paper to be pasted on coins,
sold territorial rights to print and use
it. The "coin sticker" cost the govern
ment great deal of trouble and ex-
pense to suppress. On fifty cent and
one dollar coins was pasted the adver-
tisements with a paste of glue which
almost defied removal, covering the in
scription on the reverse of the coin,
deadening the resonance and of course
enabling the swindler to take out part
Of the silver and substitute base metal.
Spurious coins of very common work
manship also passed readily with the
coin sticker on them.
There is great increase Of late in
the number of skillful men who are
constantly studying ways and means
of stealing part of the genuine metal
from our coins and substituting base
metal. One of the most successful
swindlers in this line was a man named
Wilcox, who was recently taken into
custody in Chicago by secret service Of
flcers. He made an average income of
from fifty to one hundred dollars a day
by clipping gold coins. BY cutting q
rim from around the coin, as Q tire
might be removed from wheel, he
took away from each twenty-dollar
gold piece an amount of gold not ex-
ceeding twenty-six or twenty-nine
grains in weight, or the value Of one
dollar, The subsequent rereeding Of
the double eagle, done with machine,
rendered it as perfect as ever to the eye
Of the casual observer.
The apparatus was small and easily
packed, and on reaching fresh 1ocali-
ty all that was required was b quiet
room in an obscure street and a supply
Of gold coin. The latter he secured
from the bank. He would deposit q
considerable sum of money, and after
awhile he would draw 1t out In gold.
The clipped coins were passed Py Mrs.
Wilcox at dry goods shops mostly.
One Of the most interesting processes
| consists in saving q double eagle ip
two through the edge and gougihg Q4t
the inside so as to remove about AZ
teen dollars worth Of gold. Thus TIE
piece is reduced to hollow shell ln
halves. 1t is then filed with platinum,
which is nearly as heavy as yellow
metal and costs at the present market
rates, though this varies, someWhat
less than one-half. Lead is too light
for the purpose. The cut edge Of the
reconstructed coin is disguised BY q
rim of gold soldered on, and O reeding
machine renews the corrugations OF
the minting. The result is really a
work of art, being combination OF
five different metals. Only an expert
can distinguish anything wrong about
it.
A method somewhat similar, though
less artistic, is to substitute for the In
terror portion Of gold piece core in
the shape Of a planchet of silver A
better plan, though somewhat labori
GUS, consists in boring into the coir
from the edge so as to remove consid
erable part of its internal substance
In this manner about seven dollars
worth of gold may be conveniently re-
moyed from twenty-dollar piece, the
hole being filed up with metal com
position and soldered at the opening
with gold.
Fortunately for the currency, prac
tically all the gold in circulation in the
United States passes every few hours
through the treasury and subtreas
uries. Every piece received at thost
institutions is weighed, and, II fount
light in weight, is stamped with biz
bullion. The loss to the government
by wear and tear on silver coin II
circulation is considerable. 1t average
three cents on every dollar. Last yea
1t amounted to S239, ,293.
The people have not all becom
familiar with the faces Of the nev
silver coins. The diverse and revers
Of the older coins they have known s
long and intimately that the drape,
figure of Liberty and the majestic pos
of the eagle are fixed in their mind an,
always recognized, but the new coins
with changed designs, to which
puzzling them more, were added tn
Columbus souvenirs, have not ye
established their identity.
The manufacturing counterfeiters
quick to discover and take advantag
Of whatever favors deception, almos
, Immediately followed the government
issue of the coins of new design wit
their fraudulent issue in likeness 3
them, and reaped a rich harvest bt
cause the originals were known, bu
not well known.
The gilders-counterfeiters, too
saw in the new twenty-fve-cent coin,
gilded, presentable, beguiling ter
} dollar piece, and pocketed a full PEI
centage Of profit until discovered. Th
, lack of weight should, Of course, an
does make known the frauduler
character of the gold coin. This las
the gilders' scheme to falsify coin, as
requires neither skill nor expensiv
plant. and promises so much for {
little, is always o seductive one to tn
unprincipled or weak OF will