Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-19

The decision Of the Treasury De
partment to reduce the size of United
States currency is expected to result
in an increased effort on the part of
counterfeiters to pass their spurious
product upon the public. They have
their plates made, and many have
substantial supplies of printed cur.
rency on hand. Counterfeiters usually
pass out their wares rather gingerly-
that is, the experienced ones do,
knowing that to flood the market at
any one time or place invites appre-
henSion
With currency Of new design and
especially of a reduced size to be
issued by the Government, the old
plates and ready-printed currency
will become obsolete, SO caution will
be partially set aside to get rid of
stocks on hand and make the fullest
practical use of the plates before the
appearance of the new money.
The actual counterfeiters very
rarely pass any of their own product.
Being sufficiently clever men to be
able to initiate currency, they also
have wit enough to know that 1t is
best to work in the dark. Persons
with the criminal instincts necessary
to the use of spurious money, but
lacking the skill to produce it, form a
brotherhood or a trade all by itself.
They are, of course, in league with
the counterfeiters. They buy the
counterfeit money for a low price, de.
pending to some extent on the bar
gaining ability of the respective
parties and also upon the quality of
the spurious product. The price of a
f1ve-dollar counterfeit may run any.
where from 81 to So. The professional
passer, Of course, puts the money into
circulation at it's full face value.
Passers and counterfeiters have
each other pretty much in each 9th.
er's power, as either In in a position
to inform on the crime Of the other.
In consequence they are careful of
their dealings.
In recent years counterfeiting has
altered TO some extent. Whine new
money constantly is being made,
there has been tendency to turn
more to the raising of the denomina-
tionS of genuine notes. The numeral
on a five-dollar bill, for instance, will
be skillfully changed, making it into
a fifty-dollar bill. A ten becomes a
hundred-dollar bill.
Modern Methods Are Used.
Investigations Of the Secret Service
show that the professioQ Of counter
feiting has marched with the times
and that modern methods are being
used very extensively. There are few
If any more Of the old hand-engraved
counterfeits appearing. Photolithog.
raphy has taken the place Of the
hand work. If done with skill such
a counterfeit is indeed dangerous, as
there are not present the differences
In, 1ato S.,l,I
copied note design.
The camera is the basis of practi.
cally all counterfeiting operations
among the modern fraternity and in
creasing skill is required on the part
Of the Secret Service to detect the
work Of the better craftsmen.
Distinctive paper remains one of
the principal safeguards of United
States currency. This paper, manu-
featured by private corporation for
the Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing, is guarded as carefully as stocks
Of finished notes. In fact, there is
reason for guarding it more closely.
The paper which might be used for
printing five-dollar notes could, If it
fell into the hands OF a counterfeiter,
be employed for printing thousand
dollar notes. If the crooks photo
photography were excellent his highest
hurdle would have been jumped in
having the distinctive paper.
The days Of such counterfeiters as
Jim the Penman seem to be definitely
over. He actually copied by hand,
denominations and only a close scru-
tiny would result in detection. His
inks were colored black, green or
blue as the design called for. He
was apprehended, however. by the
Secret Service.
A good deal Of spurious American
money is put into circulation first in
foreign countries. Inasmuch as the
American dollar stood the shock of
war when nearly all other currencies
weresat discount, 1t stands high In
the regard of all peoples. A portrait
of Washington or Lincoln, the Ameri-
can eagle, the words United States of
America"-all symbolic monetary
stability to the foreign mind and the
foreigner is quite ready to take Ameri-
can money. Also he is too inexpert in
handling 1t to detect spurious issues.
Nor is he likely to detect a raised
note.
When spurious notes ultimately
come to foreign branch OF an Ameri.
can bank the examiners, usually
Americans, detect the counterfeits and
the raised notes. The counterfeits are
worthless, but the raised notes will be
accepted for what their original face
represented. Thus. il a Frenchman
presented a fifty-dollar note which had
been raised from SIS, he would receive
credit only for IS.
Nations Now Cooperate.
There has been much progress made
since the war in cooperation between
the authorities of foreign nations and
the United States and this month
A. On t@N 4af