Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-13
PROTECTING BRITISH PAPER.
The Way Forgeries of English Bank
Notes Are Prevented.
From Tit Bits.


In the manufacture of bank notes the
chief thing, of course, which the authori-
ties have to bear in mind is to make forgery
impossible, or, at any rate, easy of detec-
ton. Strangely enough the Bank of Eng
land practically relies on the simplicity of
the design of their notes to detect forgeries
Whereas other countries long ago adopted
the plan of having specially colored paper
and employed various colored inks in the
printing of their bank notes, England still
sticks to the pure white, crisp paper and
black ink which have been in use for the
past two centuries.
But, in spite of the plainness Of the Bank
OF England note, no forger in the world
has yet been successful III producing an
exact facsimile True, there have been at
tempts, and for time perhaps the forger
has been successful in swindling the public
Eut no man has yet made spurious Bank
of England note which has not been detect
ed almost as soon as it got within the walls
of the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street
There is always some little defect in the
forgery which is at once obvious to the
bank official, although, of course, it may
hot be perceptible to the ayerag man. In
the first place, It is impossible for the forger
to make or obtain a sample of the paper of
which English bank notes are made. Coed
limitations have been produced, but their
faults We're at once apparent to the expert
has been manufactured By a secret process
in a certain corner of Hampshire. where
the notes are produced sometimes at the
rate of 3S3,CS3 per week. The paper is made
from new linen and cotton with certain
chemicals the nature and proportions of
which are a carefully guarded secret
A curious feature of a Bank of England
note, and one which no forger has ever been
able to initiate, is that the paper is of vary
ing thcknesses in different parts of the
note. 1t is handmade paper, and. as
those who have handled a bank note are
aware, is remarSa bic for its strength crisp
ness and transparency. AS a further guard
against forgery, the ink with which the
notes are printed is totally different to any
other kind. It's special properties are ex-
IRENE blackness and inCe.ibi,ity.
The peculiar water-mark OF an English
note, however, constitutes one Of the chief
guards against forgery. This water-mark
which practically covers the whole of the
note, is impressed on il when the paper is
in condition of pulp. In the early days OF
bank notes this water-marlt WAS produced
by a large number OF wires fastened to-
gether; but now plates of brass, stamped
out by die of specially hardened STEEL
have taken the place CT the wires.
If bank notes are carefully examined it
will be observed that the letters and num-
bers in the various water marks differ, "A
well as the printed figures denoting the
value of the note in addition to the afore-
mentioned safeguards however, there are
many secret little points in the engraving of
the genuine notes of which bankers are
aware; but they are so small that the
average man would not probably NOTICE
their absence in forged note.
There is also another little popularity in
genuine notes which helps the banker to
detect those which are false The original
sheets contain four notes. These are cut
in half and two notes printed at time and
numbered automatically They are then
cut again, and the result is that each note
has two rough edges and two smooth. Many
a a ca hot h.AxF Inn
which edges on a note of a given number
should be rough and which smooth Conse-
quently they are able at once to detect
duplicate.