AN INSTRUMENT FOR DETECTING COUNTERFEIT COIN
Year: 1885

page_text: I ALFRED HARRIS of 2 Bank Square Burton-on-Trent in the County of Stafford-
shire, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "AN
INSTRUMENT FOR DETECTING COUNTERFEIT COIN," to be as follows:-
;-
My invention is constructed similar to an ordinary pair of plyers, that is to say
it consists of two arms pivotted together nearer one end than the other and so
arranged that a given movement at one end produces a similar movement at the
other that is to say if the ends of the arms on one side of the pivot are brought
together the other ends will also move towards one another, and owing to the arms
being longer on one side of the pivot than on the other, increased pressure will be
obtained at the ends of the short arms. My instrument is made small enough to
be carried in the waistcoat pocket and the jaw end of the instrument is made just
long enough to take a sovereign, though it is within the scope of my invention to
make the instrument large enough to take the largest coin of the realu. The
jaws are made square and flat at the ends and are recessed near the pivot so that
when a coin is placed between the jaws they will not bear on the raised rim of the
coin but bed directly on the face of it.
To test a coin it is placed between the jaws of the instrument and is subjected
to pressure, the instrument being held close to the ear during the operation. If
the coin is a bad one it will make a crackling noise under pressure but if it is a
good one no noise will be produced.
ROBT. ED. PHILLIPS, M.I.M.E.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: An Instrument for Detecting Counterfeit Coin.
I ALFRED HARRIS of 2 Bank Square, Burton-on-Trent in the County of
Staffordshire, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of & an invention for " AN
INSTRUMENT FOR DETECTING COUNTERFEIT COIN" and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention is constructed similar to an ordinary pair of plyers, that is to say
it consists of two arms pivotted together nearer one end than the other and so
arranged that a given movement at one end produces a similar movement at the
other that is to say if the ends of the arms on one side of the pivot are brought
together the other ends will also move towards one another, and owing to the arms
being longer on one side of the pivot than the other, increased pressure will be
obtained at the ends of the short arms. My instrument is made small enough to
be carried in the waistcoat pocket, and the jaw end of instrument is made just
long enough to take a sovereign, though it is within the scope of my invention to
make the instrument large enough to take the largest coin of the realm. The
jaws are made square and flat at the ends and are recessed near the pivot so that
when a coin is placed between the jaws they will not bear on the raised rim of the
coin but bed directly on the face of it.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will more particularly
describe it with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which similar parts are
marked with like letters of reference.
Figs. 1 and 2 respectively show a side and front elevation of my instrument
which is constructed of two arms A. A¹ pivotted together by the pin a so that each
end has a similar movement. The jaw ends of arms A and A¹ are roughened and
are slightly recessed at the point nearest to the pivot so that when a coin is placed
between the jaws they will not bear on the raised rim of the coin but will bed
directly on the face of it. The inner faces of the jaw end of the instrument are
parallel to each other when the distace between the faces is equal to the average
thickness of the current coin and not when the faces come together.
To test a coin, it is placed between the jaws of the instrument and is subjected
to pressure, the instrument being held close to the ear during the operation. If
the coin is a bad one it will make a crackling noise under pressure, but if it is a good
one no noise will be produced.
For ordinary purposes a small instrument such as could be carried in the waist-
coat pocket will suffice, but for Banks and other houses where a large amount of
coin is in circulation a larger instrument is preferable and it may then be fitted
with an ear trumpet so as to intensify the sounds produced.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. An instrument for detecting counterfeit coin constructed. arranged
and operating as hereinbefore described and shown or any mere modification
thereof.
Secondly. An instrument for detecting counterfeit coin consisting essentially
of the arms A and A¹ pivotted together by the pin a, having their jaw ends con-
structed arranged and operating as hereinbefore described and shown.