The Washington herald., 1906-12-26
DOLLAR MORGAN" TALKS.
Mint Designer Tells of Failures of
CoUntcrfeiters.

Philadelphia, Dec. 25.-George T. Nor
gan, known as Dollar Morgan" at the
Philadelphia mint. where he is engraver
and designer, to-day denied there was
any truth in a sensational report from
the West that counterfeiters had been
trying to learn from him certain details
about the secret marks on the silver dol
lar which he designed in 1873 after a con-
test in which hundreds competed.
1t was said that these counterfeiters
had approached him by indirect methods.
asked him artfully wOrded questions
about the location Of these secret marks,
and so concealed their identity that he
had not discovered until long afterward
that they were makers of the queer"
Mr. Morgan explained why counterfeit
ers are not particularly interested in "se-
cret marks"
1T is true he said. that there is a
surprisingly large manufacture of spuri-
Gus coin going on, but the counterfeiters
simply use molds 10 get an imprint of
the design, and this method, OF course,
produces secret marks and all. so that
the exact location of the marks is not
Of particular interest to the criminals.
1T might be thought that the differ
ence in price between the bullion and
tempt men to make spurious dollars out
of silver and gain the difference in values.
But silver will not pour we'll in molds
and consequently a base composition IS
used. To make real silver dollars it would
be necessary to have stamp dies and
big. expensive press, difficult to conceal;
and this method is, therefore, not used.
Secretary Gage, when he was head OF
the Treasury Department, had the idea
that cOunterfeiters might manufacture
silver dollars, circulate them at their face
value. and make about half dollar on
each coin.
He came 10 Philadelphia and made
the surprising suggestion that prominent
business men might set up a private
mint and coin silver dollars of their own.
He named the two most prominent pro-
prietors of department stores in Chicago
and Philadelphia as persons who could
make thousands of dollars this way. We
told him of the difficulties in the way, but
he said he couldn't see why the thing
couldn't easily be done.
As for the secret marks It is custom
airy. here and abroad, for the designer
to place an initial on the coin. The gold
coins have marks. and Charles E. Barber
of the Philadelphia mint, placed a 81
OF the half and quarter dollar designs.
When I placed the NJ on the dollar the
superintendent of the mint at that time
said if he had known of 1t before any Of
the coins had been struck off he would
have had the initial removed Col Snow
den once told me he never knew the
secret marks were on the coin"
They have been having much trouble
with the Panama coins at the mint.
Uncle Sam minis the half-balboas and
subsidiary coin for the isthmian republic,
just as it has minted great amounts for
Mexico and Central and South American
republics. which have no minis of their
own.
Recently the Philadelphia mint received
an order to coin a large amount of Pan
ANA nickels and half nickels. 1t was SUD-
posed the composition to be used would
be that used for our own nickels, 70 per
cent copper. . per cent nickel-aIthough
most persons think the proportion runs
the other way