Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1911-10-26
BEST BANENOTES.
They Are Produced by American
Talent and Methods.
HASDEsT TO COUNTERFEIT.
From tho limo Of Paul Revere, the
First American 5snknots Artist,
Ours Have Been More Difficult to
Initiate Than Those Of the Old World.

Initiate Than Those Of the Old World
To say that Americans make the hes
bankDOtes In the world may sound a
, 1rst rather boastful. and yet any lis
: tory OF the art aud industry OF NOT,
: engraving which failed 10 record thai
fact would be incomplete. Paul Re
we're was the first American banlsnotC
artist, and from the time Of the char
teifng Of the Bank Of North America
under the direction OF Robert Morris
In 1881. up to the present American
engravers have excelled not only IN the
artistic quality of their designs, but IN
their provisions against counterfelting.
Marco Polo found banknotes in Chi.
ma ages ago, printed on paper made
from the bark OF the mulberry tree.
One OF the notes upon which the great
Venetian traveller himself may have
gazed Is on exhibition at this day In
the office of mn American company. II
Is one OF a series issued by the Ming
dynasty about 1890 A. D.-"current
anywhere under heaven" and seems
TO have been printed from wooden
blocks on sheet Of paper nine by
thirteen inches, bigger surface than
any man could cover with both hands
outstretched- II Is good for zone
string Of cash. The provision against
forgery Is simple to the point OF sever.
ity: "Counterfelters hereof viii DO ex-
ecuted Persons giving information Of
counterfeitcrs will be rewarded with
taels $50 and In addition win receive
the property belonging 70 the crimi-
nal"
Another great government has placed
much dependence upon death rs a de-
torrent to imitators OF It's promises to
pay. When Jacob Perkins OF New.
buryport. Mass. invented the method
of transferring designs from hardened
steel plates to steel cylinders and re
transferring to Nat plates, thus en-
abling the engraver to devote the time
necessary to accomplish his best work
in the original and reproduce It Mt will.
the new process aroused International
interest Mr. Perkins and his asso-
clates went TO London In 1919 at the
instance OF the British minister al
Washington to help the Bank Of Eng
land 10 issue notes not easily counter
feited But the conservative old bank
refused TO adopt the new method, pre-
fcrring. as one OF the Americans said.
to rely upon tho hangman rather than
the engrayer. Nevertheless the Eng.
lish began in time to follow American
methods after the geometric lathe had
been invented by Asa Spencer OF New
London, Conn. and improved by Cyrus
The governments OF continental Eu-
rope depend exclusively upon color /
work TO protect their paper currency, /
and several Of the large banks OF issue
have civil engineers in charge Of their
bureau OF engraving and printing,
hough what connection there may be
engineering and engraving is
! mystery. Many italian banknotes
ire easy 20 counterfeit. The Bank Of
spain has OF late abandoned its own
,lant because its notes were initiated
% successfully that counterfeits were
accepted by the bank without ques-
ion, A private concern now does the
work. The Bank OF Greece now uses
be American method. having had sad
experiences with notes Of Austrian. !
herman and English fashloning,
A myth that probably will never die
ellis us TINT the notes OF the Bank OF I
'ngland cannot be counterfeited. AS
matter OF fact. they can be Initiated J
eadily enoush. for little attempt is Q
iade 70 protect the notes beyond the S
sc Of watermark paper, The wa G
,rmark can be easily copied, '
One practical safeguard OF great ef. c
Is the custom Of the Bank U
( England 20 cancel every note that is Q
sturned 70 the hank and issue anoth.
r IN its place Fhis and the practice
I kecning q record OF tho apmhers Of
\ bank notes used IN every business
keen alive a keen sense 7
responsibility which adds 10 secu-
IL. The custom OF circulating solled
lnknotes. OF course. gives the coun- o
rfelter his best opportunity. Forgery "
much more readily detected In 81
isn, still. new bill than in a rumpled "
"a dirty one ST
The American style OF banknote has s.
come the standard In the countries e,
Central aud South America. The IN
~ the BRAZILIAN government NJ
| the wav In this after various dis. y,
nointments First the much vauut- n
Austrian system was tried. the Il;
ties being engraved and printed in or
lgland under that system. They c,
,ved comnlete feiure Counter. IN
tiers nourished The Braxiiians tried a.
nknotes made In France. and these WI
re promptly and extensively imitat- st
as soon AZ the ccunterfeiters could Oh
their mates ard rarer ready. Bra. icS
tried German and Eng ish establish Of
nts. hut stin without securing pro- SIT
ton 10 the hanknrte circulation. tn
az last turned 20 the United States wi
found type OF bills practically ne
possible 10 counterfeit. So II Is no by
lst but a mere record Of fact, 70 va
te that Americans make the best $50
,knofCS In tho world - DatrNif Npv~e eYl