The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-11-23
COUNTERFEIT COINS.
SIMPLE RULES BY WHICH THEY MAY
BE DETECTED.

Tests Which Are Used by the Ex-
perts In the Treasury Department.
Who Never FniI to Recognize the
Spurious Article.
at Is not always easy to detect coun-
tetfeits of gold and silver coins" says
the director of the mint, Especially
where they are of good weight and ex-
ira fine finish and the peculiar slippery
surface by which many countcrfeits may
be detected is absent.
1.-The public, in their haste in the ex-
change of money, should find time to
scrutinizc with care each coin as it is
handled. There is always much counter
felt coin in circulation.
Our presses at the minis are extreme
~ heavy. weighing $4,000 pounds. Nat
urally piece of gold or silver struck
from their dies is as nearly perfect as it
is possible to make coin. Yet counter
fcitcrs. with their light presses and dies,
manage to do some very clever work.
The product of molds, favorite method
with the smaller fry of counterfeiters, Is
inferior to that of the dies. The absence
of the clear cut appearance of the genu-
inc coin. the defective weight, the imper.
feet lettering and milling and the indis.
tinct reeding on the outer edge of TIKI.
coin are the distinguishing Characterization
which will guide the public in detecting
coins thus made. Italians are the great
est offenders against the law with mold
made counterfets. The most expert
turner's out of metal counterfeits have
been regular makers of dies who wanted
to get rich quickly.
"The standard of gold made by our
minis is 900 fine, or 21.19 carats. A.
new $50 counterfeit is probably a com"
position of gold. copper and silver. the
gold being of low grade. The facsimiles
are often quite perfect, with clear ring
and sharp. well appearing lettering and
milling. being well calculated to deceive
those who are not used to the handling of
coins.
platinum is n metal which gives the,
required weight and is extensively used
in gold counterfciting. Clear cut coins;
are made from this metal and heavily
gold plated. They are comparatively
easily passed. especially when first put
into circulation After time the plat
ing wears off about the edges and it's
spurious base is revealed. Lead, type
metal, zinc and anthony are the metals
principally used for silver counterfeiting
and copper. brass. silver and platinum
for gold limitations. Counterfeits of lead
and type metal are easily detected and
are passed on ignorant persons or for
eigners.
"Antimony and lead are the component
parts of the most dangerous counterfeits
of silver coins, the antimony furnishing
fbo hrlIlx of tho apiD "hpD Sfr1nt< from
good dies. with heavy plating of silver.
they give forth good ring and present
a pretty fair substitute for the genuine
article. The dollar is the denomination
most contprfeited.
Counterfeit gold coins may be execut-
ed with such precision that they will pass
muster under the eyes of bank tellers and
others used to the handling of coins,
though the average teller. generally de-
tects a spurious coin on sight. But none
gets by our treasury experts. Their fac
ulty, the result of years of study and
handling of coins. in detecting a counter
felt is marvellous. They seem to know a
spurious coin by instinct, though it is
really the result of training. Yet even
these men. rs skillful as they are. occa-
sionally have doubts raised in their
minds as to whether a coin is genuine or
ne If suspicious. the coin is cut in
half. or it is assayed here in the building
and it's exact weight and fneness deter
mined.
"Coins are now and then turned into
the treasury upon the supposition that
they are counterfeits, because they fail
to give that peculiar clear ring of a genu-
inc goldpiece. though they present other
wise the appearance of being genuine.
"Ths singular incongruity is accounted
for by the fact that the coin has a small
blowhole in the interior of the metal or
the flaw consists of n crack or split near
the edge. Experts know where to look
for these imperfections imperccptible to
others and with a powerful magnifying
glass they are quickly made manifest.
"If the public will remember three
cardinal points in determining the spuri-
Gus from the genuine and which are used
by the treasury experts, it will be diff
cult matter to pass off counterfeit upon
one who is accustomed to handling mon
ey We call them the test of weight,
diameter and thickness
ut has been demonstrated that coun-
terfeiters do not combine these three req
uisites with spurious metals. Bear this
test in mind. note carefully the weight.
ring. size. impress. milling and reeding.
all of which requisites may be taken in
with a glance. and one will always carry
about with him pretty good 'detector.'
1.-THE men who make it their business
to cheat the government out of GOLD
adopt several processes. l saw coin re-
Gently which had been filled so cleverly
that the fraud was apparent only upon
the closest examination. The $40 and
500 pieces are mostly used for this opera
ton. The coin was sawed through from
the edge by q saw of minute proportions
and exquisite tineness, the interior re-
moved and the cavity filled with piati-
mum which brought the piece up to stand
ard weight. though it lost three-quartcrs
of it's value. 1t gave forth good ring.
If it had been filled with base metal
other than platinum. it would have lack
ed the ring and been of light weight.
"In some of these filled coins the OK
terror walls of gold are as thin as oldi.
nary writing paper. Once the cavity is
filed the sides are clampcd into the origi-
nal position and brazed together. The
edges are skiilfully recovered with gold,
the reedng, or the minute corrugations
on the edge, restored and the coin will
pass readily in the hands of the unSus
pecting. 81.
"The mast, dangerous tempered coins
are those witch have been plugged.
don't mean pagged as the word is "rdi
narily accepted and as we see every day
in the silver coins. but where the skill
full counterfeiter gets out as high us
one-sixth of the weight Of $40 or $40
piece The coin is pierced by boring q
hole in the edge and the gold extracted
from this diminntjve aperture. 1t is theT
plugged with pi&tinum. the surface Of the
aperture covered with genuine metal and
the reeding restored with Il file. mas
much as the coins are genuine and the
minute hole in the edge so adroitly GOV
cred these tempered with pieces pass
from hand to hand until the gold on th'