The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-10-17
Forgerles in Curios.

London Tit Bits: The French gov
eminent is just now interesting itself
in the enormous trade done in forged
Scores porcelain: Pieces of such spur
ious ware costing but a few shillings
to make have been sold in London for
six and seven guineas as the genuine
article. Today forgeries are made. not
only of signatures on checks, bank
notes, pictures, wares and coins of the
realm, but of nearly everything else
possible that is of value. Forgers of
various kinds are among the cleverest
tricksters living. and mention may
here be made of some of the more IN
usual counterfeits that they produce
Take the old black Jacks, for in
stance. the ancient leather drinking
vessels, which not few people COL
lect, and small-sized variety of which
is still in use by the veterans of Chel
sea hospital. AS curiosities these are
much sought after, and they sell par
ticularly we'll in America. The forger
of old English black jacks-a foreign
er-makes them of the leather of old
boots and shoes, we'll soaked. pressed
in an iron shape, stained black and
polished. Ten-pennywOrth of silver
mounting completes splendid speci-
men,"
No well equipped public or private
museum is complete without num-
my. Hence the art of mystery" of
mummy forging. At one time many
mummies were found in Peru, bur
when the supply shortened the forger
began to make mummies of brown
paper and gras sand leaves pulped.
They were wrapped in strips of per
ished" army tenting, and each weighed
sixteen pounds. The enterprising for
ger took plaster cast of his son, and
by means of this each mummy was
modelled, completed in half day and
then baked in a cycle makers enamel
ing oven.
The postage stamp forger misses no
opportunity. Australians have spec
ial fondness for the famous five
penny" stamp of New South Wales.
The popularity of this stamp is due
to the fact that for fifty years it has
been of the same color and printed on
the same press from the same plates.
Previous to the jubilee of the stamp,
last December. there were rumors that
it's color might be altered. Forgers
knew better than to prematurely pro-
duce a stamp of another color: but
they printed exact limitations of it in
shade slightly different to that of the
original. Report had it that these
stamps, of wrong tint. had been is
sued in error. and that they were to
be called in. Consequently collectors
scrambled to buy the bogus specimens.
Forgers of old furniture eagerly buy
up old wooden bedsteads and old
church pews. for they must have old
wood for their work. A "Chippendale"
table made, boys are paid to kick the
legs to give them an appearance as
of age. Forgers of rare coins at one
time buried their products in the
ground to SO cause them to show the
patina, or green rust of age. With
acids they now simulate a beautiful
patina in less than three minutes.
Most of the New Zealand aborigines
have long since parted with their
native weapons and utensils for cash
to collectors and visitors. But the de-
mand continues. and is met. for the
Maori relics forger. exactly initiating
the originals. keeps workshopful OF
men and boys working overtime turn
ing out such counterfeit curios by the
SrOro