The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-10-18
WATERMARKS on PAPER.
How They Proved Invaluable in DE-.
tecting Many Clever FOrgeries.

Watermarks have proved themselves
invaluable for safeguarding against
the forgery OF banknOtes, bills. stamps,
cts, though the difficulty experienced
by the Bank of England in evolving
very defying imitation was very
great and was accomplished by the
execution of fOrgeries innumerable.
Many u will has been set aside Ow-
ing to false dates in the watermarks,
for thanks to watermarks. they are un-
der no uncertainty respecting the date
Of the existence of the paper. Ire
lands celebrated Shakespearian for
geries were, however. perpetuated
with skillful recognition OF the water
mark difficulty.
scripts he set to work purchasing old
volumes for their fly leaves, and hear
ing that the jug" was the prevalent
watermark of the reign of Queen Eliza
beth he selected such as had the lug"
on, being careful to mingle with them
certain number of blank leaves, in
order that the production on sud
den of so many identical watermarks
might not arouse suspicion.
Two OF the earliest watermarks con-
sist of circle surmounted by cross,
signifying the cross planted on earth,
and an open hand surmounted by
star or cross. representing the pastoral
benediction of priest. Post" paper
takes its name from the post horn,
which mark was in use as early as
1870. 1t sometimes appears on
shield, and in the seventeenth century
is surmountei by ducal cornet, in
which form it is still met with ON our
ordinary note paper.
The watermark Of deny" paper has
ever been the fluer de lis, the peculiar
cognizance of the house of Burgundy,
who were patrons of the Bordeaux in
dustry. In course of time the manu-
facture of paper became conferred in
the law countries, and the excellence
of the Dutch paper, it's purity and dur
ability have never been excelled. The
papers manufactured in the Dutch
mills have a great variety of water
marks. and many of them were the
badges of the noble families who had
founded mills elsewhere. Thus the
P. and Y, sometimes separate and
sometimes conjoined, are the initials
of Philip the Good. Duke of Burgundy,
1919 to 1867. and Ysanela. his wife.
The ox's head was another ancient
watermark on which Caxton and Faust
printed some of their books, but Cax-
ton used watermark in the form of
the letter for the Game and Plays
of the Cheese" first printed in 1474.
The first edition of Shakespeare,
nrinted by Isaac Jaggard and Edward
Blount in 1923 will, however. be found
TO be mostly on paper bearing cap
like Jockeys as watermark, and
the general use Of the term "cap" to
various modern papers owes it to
marks of this kind.
The first English paper maker was
John Tate. who founded mill at Hert-
ford at the close of the fifteenth CEN
fury. Tate made fine thin paper.
having for a watermark an eight point
ed star within double circle. White
coarse paper was made by Sir John
SDellman, German, at hartford, in |
1880. and here the first English paper |
mills on large scale were erected.
TIL 1890. however, when William III.
passed an act to encourage the home
of white paper, all the
best paper for writing and printing
was imported from Holland and
France.
A story goes that the most curious
If all watermarks. FOOLS cap, which
S derived from the Italian "foglio-
folio sized sheets, was or.
Tered by the romp parliament to be
substituted for the royal arms in the
'aper used for the journal of the house
II commons.