The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-31
From the New York sun.


muster" said an old coin
dealer emphatically. There is no more
chance of diemakers being able to make
an exact counterpart in coin than there
is TO initiate successfully the impression
of mans thumb
THAT there are limitations is true
enough, but they are clumsy. Most of
them are simple alterations of date. They
can be told at glance by signs as un-
failing as the sun.
while the coins of series of years
may seem at first glance to be all of one
exact pattern, yet close observation will
reveal distinct differences. No better
illustration of this can be shown than the
rare cent pieces of 1894
"Fifty-six distinct varieties of cents
were issued in that year, and all of them
closely resembled one another Careful
study enables experts to tell them apart
It was in this way that coin experts
found that there were so many different
dies made for the cent in 1874 for the
mint records make no mention of the
fact.
1.-The favorite coin with those who alter
dates is the rare 1899 cent, which is worth
5000 and more IL in uncirculated condi-
ton. The 1898 cent is the issue that most
closely resembles this cent, and this is
the coin that is used for alteration. No
collector should be taken in by one of
these altered specimens; for there were
only two varieties of the 1899 cent, and
each has marked differences from the
coins of the previous year.
THE 1904 dollar is another fine exam
pie. That is the rarest American coin
You would naturally suppose that there
would be many attempts to counterfeit
this dollar, for 1t Is worth from $1,000 up.
There has never been single attempt to
counterfeit this famous coin, but num-
Der OF coins have been turned out with
the date altered.
THE design of the 1904 dollar is the
the year preceding 1t, and in fact as far
back as 1898. The silver dollars of 179S.
1879. 1900 1901, 1902, 1903 and 1904 are all
supposed to be alike, with the exception
Of the date, and they do look as much
alike as two peas to the novice. Yet the
diemakers each year have left trifing
differences that make the variety and the
year of issue as clear as daylight
I'm almost every case when attempts
have been made to initiate the 1904 date
the dollar of 1901 has been used. a speci-
men of which is only worth a couple of
dollars. To all appearances the 1901 dollar
is precisely like the 1904 coin. with the
trifiing difference in date, and thus the
person making the alterations seems to
think he has nothing to do but simply
change the into a 4. Yet the reverse of
the 1901 dollar bears little variations that
show the year in which it was struck
Plausible tales are nearly always told
by persons with such altered coins to sell
Not long ago a man came into my place
from the far west. Out of chamois bag
which he carried around his neck he took
two coins. carefully wrapping in tissue
paper.
"Tenderly he laid the coins in my hand
He was not coin collector, he said, but
had heard that these two pieces were very
valuable and had bought them at a low
figure.
zone of the coins was supposed to be an
1904 dollar and the other the rare 1858
half dollar, without the arrow points
alongside of the date. which ought to
have been worth from s75 to 500. They
were certainly beauties, both of them.