The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-08-05
MAKING BANK NOTES
EFFORTS TO FOIL
couNTERFElTERs.
All Of a Certain Denomination Exact
Duplicates Of One Another-many
Persons Engaged in the Prepare
ton Of Each Bill.

First in consideration In making
bank note is to prevent others from
making n counterfeit OF II. Therefore,
all the notes of certain denomina
ton or value must be exact duph-
Gates Of one another. II they wero
engraved by hand this would not DO
the case. Hand engraving Is more
easily eounterfeited than the work
done by the process actually used
Every note" said an official OF
one of the leading bank note compan-
les, SIS printed from n steel plate III
the preparation of which many per
sons take part. II you will look al %
greenback you will see picture IN
the center, small portrait. called
a vlgnette. on the left, and in each OK
the upper corners a network oil hhe
lines with a dark ground. one con-
tanning the letter and the other the
figure 8. To make a vignette II 10
first necessary to make large draw
ing on paper with great care, ana
daguerreotype is then given TO the en-
graver, who used steel point 10
make on II all the outlines OF the PIC
ture. The plate is linked and a print
is taken from H.
while the ink Is still damp the
print Is laid down on steel plate,
which has been softened by heating
Il red hot and letting 1t cool slowly.
II is then put In press and an exact
copy Of the outlines is thus made on
the steel plate. This the engrayer I'm
fishes with his graver. little tool
with a three.cornered point which
cuts a clean line without leaving q
rough edge Now. this plate is used
for making other plates. II is never
used TO print from. II must be made
very hard. and this 10 done by heat
ing and cooling II quickly. A little
roller OF softened steel Is then rolled
over Il by powerful machine until
It's surface has been forced into all
the lines cut into the plate.
The outlines of the yignette are
thus transferred to the roller In rails
cd lines. and after the roller Is hard
encd II IL used 10 roll over plates OF
softened steel. and thus makes In
them sunkcn lines exactly like those
IN the plate originally engraved. The
center picture Is engraved and trans
ferred to a roller like the yiguc,te.
bur the network In the upper corners.
and also on the back OF the note. 10
made by the lathe This machine
costs $1,000 price that puts Il be-
yond the reach OF countorfelters Its
work Is so perfect that II cannot DO
Initiated by hand The lathe enggaves
the network on softered steel and
the figure in the middle Is then en-
graved by hand. II is nov hardened
and transferred to a roller Ike tho
others. .. .......,
The plates from which notes are
20 be printed are OF softened steel
and large enough TO print four notes
at once. Four engravings OF the note
must. therefore, be made on Il. and
this is done by rolling the hardened
steel rollers containing the raised pic
lures over II in their appropriate
places until tho pictures are pressed
into It's surface The fine lettering
around the borders OF the note 10
ransferred IN tne shme way, out the
other lettering 10 put on by hand
This process saves a great deal OF
time and II secures absolute uni
formity In the four engravings On
Ahe plate. The back parts OF the note
are printed first. and when the ink 10
dry the green back is printed. 10 b
followed by the red stamps and num-
bers. II Is then signed and issued.
For greater security one part OF the
note Is engraved and printed a. one
place and another part at another
place. when It Is sent to Washington.
TO he finished and signed. But. need
less TO say. after all this care and all
these safeguards, many skilfully exc
cuted counterfeits have been made .
and issued, some Of them so good as
70 deceive expert judges of money"