Evening star., 1934-09-16
Looking at Counterfeit Money
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

1t is said that a miser gszes upon
money with all the rapt attention of
a lover looking into his mistress face,
but no miser in the world ever bent so
comprehensive a regard upon a cur
rency note as that of one Of Uncle
Sans Secret Service sleuths. The
close attention with which these
counterfeit hunters learn to examine
paper money would serve as a model
to cat watching a mouse hole.
To begin with, perhaps the widest
miseonception entertained by the gen.
eral public concerning activities of
the United States Government has
to do with the Secret Service. Ask
90 per cent of the citizens encountered
between San Diego and Bangor about
the Secret Service and it will develop
that they credit that service with
being the detective force of the Fed
eral Government which runs down
Dillingers and Capones, tracks mar
cotic smugglers and rum-runners.
AS a matter of fact the Secret
Service is among the most highly
specialized branches of the Federal
Government with only two important
Jobs. One is the protection OF the
President and the other Is the suppress
sion of counterfeiting. 1t has a few
technical duties connected with vio-
lations Of the farm loan act, War
Finance Corp. act and veterans
adjusted compensation act, but these
occupy scarcely niche compared with
the two major tasks.
To give some idea of the amount
of skill required on the part of Secret
Service operatives in the detection OF
counterfeiting, one need only read
with care one of the routine an
nouncements of the appearance OF
newly discovered spurious note.
Such an announcement appears at
frequent intervals. One has just ap-
peared. The description says: This
counterfeit is a deceptive production
printed on one sheet of paper from
intaglio plates of good workmanship"
At the very outset it will be observed
that not every layman knows the
difference between a note printed on
one or on two sheets and ability to
recognize at a glance the type OF
plate from which the printing is done
is less than universal. To continue:
"The plates, however, are one-eighth
inch longer than the genuine and the
seal and serial numbering are exc
cuted in dull red, lacking the glossy
effect which distinguishes the gen.
rine."
Importance of Trifies.
An eighth of an inch is not great
distance and also even genuine notes
sometimes have white borders, out
side the printing, a trifle wider than
others. To detect that the plate
itself is an eighth of an inch out Of
the way requires more than half an
eye. When notes have been handled
and rehandled the exact degree of
glossiness which the very meager bits
of red on the seal and the small
numbers have requires enlightened
examination.
"On the face of the note," the an
nouncement continues, tiny bits Of
blue thread have been impressed on
the surface to simulate the silk fiber
in the genuine" These bits of blue
thread have been the Nemesis Of
counterfeiters time and again. but
it is a sharp-eyed watcher, indeed, who
can detect the presence Of counterfeit
blue threads. The counterfeiter often
resorts to ink marks or other attempts
to give the impression of the threads,
but when actual threads, are i'm