Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-23
COUNTERFEIT MONEY
Oven 500 tse ..aas, ISSUES OF
A Treasury Expert Gives Some Inter-
esing 1nformstion in Regard to
DinereNt Denominations.


coins, national haniGnotes, treasury notes,
gold and silver certificates have been re-
ported as couhtertat?" repeated United
states treasury exJ9rt to Star man this
morning. well. a great many more than
most people imagine; enough to keep cash
iers on sharp lookout for spurious money
or all kinds, and to make US wonder that
the public are not caught more frequently.
THE activity Of the secret service men
during the past few years in ferreting out
nests Of counterfeiters, and in capturing
and confiscating their dies, presses, cruel
bles, metals, paper, etc, used in their
nefarious occupations, has tended to keep
down the circulation Of counterfeits very
largely, especially when they have been is
sued by regularly organized gangs Of coun-
terfeiters. Isolated cases. as where a man
mere and there issues a few pen and ink or
Photographic counterfeits. are not 50 readi-
ly rounded up -
1.-THE average Photographic counterfeit
can be readily detected by persons familiar
with money by their bad color as against
the perfect printing Of a good bill. Some
counterfeiters touch up by hand the red
seal of the treasury upon all bills with COL
ors and brush. and where this work, togeth-
er with Photographic execution and good
paper Is we'll done, the counterfeit is more
apt to pass current until 1t strikes the
quick eye of money expert,
Interesting Points About Counterfeits.
There have been counterfeited Of the
issues of national bank notes five 81, fifty
eight IS, Of which seven are on Chicago
banks; forty-three $40, Of which ten are on
New York national banks; sixteen $2O nine
$50. Of which seven are on New York ma
tionaf banks, and nine 500 bills.
or the United States treasury notes and
certificates there have been counterfeited
-FOUR II thirteen Sc seventeen IS. twenty
three $40, thirteen 500, eight $50. three $780,
one $500 and one 81 900 bills.
"Of the silver certificates there have
peen issued and recorded seven Of the 81
denomination. fourteen Of the 81, twenty-six
Of the S. twenty-one Of the $40, ten Of the
$40 and one Of the 500.
The gold certificates have not been as
extensively counterfeited as the silver GER
tifcates and they are much more difficult
to initiate. There are outstanding three
counterfeit issues Of the $40, two OF the $50
and one of the 500 certificates.
Il do not recall Of ever having seen these
facts arranged in the manner in which I
giving them to you. and when it is con-
sidered that there are officially recorded 800
different issues Of good. bad and Indifferent
counterfeit notes. the public can get line
on what the counterfeiters of the country
have been doing to our currency in the
way OF imitation and deception.
Many Of these different issues Of counter
fefts have been 80 cleverly made, especially
those from engraved plates, that we de-
nominate them dangerous very danger
GUS and exceedingly dangerous In the
500 gold certificates, the issue was a very
dangerous one, over a quarter Of a million
OF these counterfeit notes having been put
into circulation.C not in dollars, but in the
humber Of notes. So dangerous were these
counterfeits that the government has re-
tired from circulation nearly all Of the gem
uine notes Of this issue. One Of the three
counterfeit issues OF the SO gold certificates
is a very clever Photographic production
well calculated to deceive. This counterfeit
may be taken as al, illustration of the high
art attained by counterfeiters in making
spurious notes by the Photographic process.
This note should be detected by its coloring
not being up to the mark Of the genuine.
Tips for the Public.
1.-THE 500 silver certificate Is one Of the
most dangerous coupterfeits yet put out.
There are several dangerous counterfeits Of
these certificates In the $40, SO and IS de-
nominations,-whiI OF the 81 denomination
there are four different dangerous issues
and Of one Of these the gang sending out
this issue has ffoated five separate issues. In
the original issue Of this last counterfeit the
word Two was incorrectly spelled backward,
thus 'Owt.' The counterfeiters did not dis
cover this error until they foated the note,
then they promptly sent out a second issue
with the word spelled correctly. This 81
silver certificate counterfeit is an exceed
ingly dangerous article, and the fact that
1--WE separate issues have been Showed tes-
titles to the skill OF the cOunterfeterS. All
of the seven known issues of 81 certificates
are poor and are readily detected, or ought
to be.
Passing from the silver certificates to the
United States Treasury notes, while some
Of the counterfeit Issues are clever, most of
them are from fair to bad except a few
which are dangerous, especially the $1,000
and $500 denominations. Very few genuine
notes Of the issues of these notes which are
-counterfeited are in circulation, and the
public should handle these big bills with
great care. So few OF us ever see them,
however that the general public need not
be concerned.
'Of the 500 denomination Of the treasury
notes two finely executed Photographic PEN
and-ink counterfeits have been detected,
while of the $50 denomination there are
several very dangerous issues outstanding
There are also several very dangerous
counterfeit notes of the $40 and $40 de-
nominations in circulation. One or two Of
these have had as many as three successive
issues showed on the public but all Of the
counterfeits of the 81 denomination Of treas
ury notes are poor, and Of the 81 there
are none that ought to deceive the expert
handler of money, and most Of these issues
of 81 counterfeits are poor to only fair.
OF the many issues of IS notes only one or
two are calculated 10 deceive a cashier who
looks at his bills
Be Wary Of Coins.
"As regards the counterfeiting of our
gold and silver COINS" continued the ex-
pert. as he threw on the counter a handful
- brand new 500 gold pieces from the mint