IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING BANK NOTES, BILLS OF EXCHANGE, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS REQUIRING LIKE SECURITY AGAINST BEING COPIED.
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Moss, of Gainsford Street, Islington, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING
BANK NOTES, BILLS OF EXCHANGE, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS REQUIRING LIKE
SECURITY AGAINST BEING COPIED.".
Scaled the 11th March 1859, and dated the 15th December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Moss at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th December 1858.
I, THOMAS Moss, of Gainsford Street, Islington, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING
BANK NOTES, BILLS OF EXCHANGE, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS REQUIRING LIKE SECURITY
AGAINST BEING COPIED," to be as follows:-
This Invention bas for its object improvements in printing bank notes, bills
of exchange, and other documents requiring like security against being copied.
For these purposes the paper on which a bank note, bill of exchange, or other
document is to be printed, whether by copper or other plate, or by other.
printing surface, is first to be coated with coloring matter, either all over or
only at such parts thereof as may be desired to be protected from being copied
by the process of photography, or by other art or process by which such docu-
ments have been heretofore copied. The colors used for this purpose it is

page_text: preferred should be yellow, red, brown, or green, though others may be used,
and the coloring matters are so prepared that whichever be used the color may
not be removed by chemical agency, unless at the same time the paper be so
destroyed or injured as to prevent its being afterwards negociated or copied.
For this purpose burnt clay or carbon (preferring that obtained by the burning
of spirits) is used in compounding the colors, and they are mixed with drying
oils or varnishes in the usual manner; but when yellow coloring matter is used,
it is preferred to employ coal tar or creosote. The color or colors are by
preference applied with a block, though other means may be resorted to, such
block applying the color all over the surface, or only to such parts thereof as
it is desired to protect from being copied, the color in either case being laid on
as a ground. The printed portions consisting of letters and figures, whether
with or without ornamental devices or vignettes, it is preferred should be
printed with the ordinary black ink now used for such documents, which is
not practicably capable of being removed by any known chemical agent, but
ink prepared in any other manner may be used, provided it offers a like
resistance to chemical agents. A bank note, bill of exchange, or other printed
document so prepared will, in the event of any attempt being made to copy it
by photography or by other known means, produce a black or dark or imperfect
impression either all over or over, the parts to which the ground color has been
applied, without showing the writing, figures, or other devices, or those parts
of the document will be only slightly indicated; and in the event of the
original document being first subjected to chemical agency in order to remove
the color first applied all over or over parts of the surface, the
paper will be
destroyed, or so injured before the ground color is removed as to prevent the
document being negociated or available for copying.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Moss in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th
June 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS S
Moss, of Gainsford Street, Islington, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said Thomas Moss, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Moss,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Moss, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING BANK
NOTES, BILLS OF EXCHANGE, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS REQUIRING LIKE SECURITY AGAINST
BEING COPIED," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Moss, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Moss, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in printing bank notes, bills
of exchange, and other documents requiring like security against being copied.
For these purposes the paper on which a bank note, bill of exchange, or other
document is to be printed, whether by copper or other plate, or by other printing
surface, is first to be coated with coloring matter, either all over or only at
such parts thereof as may be desired to be protected from being copied by the
process of photography, or by other art or process by which such documents
have been heretofore copied. The colors used for this purpose it is preferred
should be yellow, red, brown, or green, though others may be used, and tho
coloring matters are so prepared that whichever be used the color may not be
removed by chemical agency, unless at the same time the paper be so
destroyed or injured as to prevent its being afterwards negotiated or copied.
For this purpose burnt clay or carbon (preferring that obtained by the burning
of spirits) is used in compounding the colors, and they are mixed with drying
oils or varnishes in the usual manner; but when yellow coloring matter is used,
it is preferred to employ coal tar or creosote. The color or colors are by
preference applied with a block, though other means may be resorted to, such
block applying the color all over the surface, or only to such parts thereof as
it is desired to protect from being copied, the color in either case being laid on
as a ground: The printed portions consisting of letters and figures, whether

page_text: with or without ornamental devices or vignettes, it is preferred should be
printed with the ordinary black ink now used for such documents, which is
not practicably capable of being removed by any known chemical agent, but
ink prepared in any other 'manner may be used, provided it offers a like
resistance to chemical agents. A bank note, bill of exchange, or other printed
document so prepared will in the event of any attempt being made to copy it
by photography, or by other known means, produce a black or dark or
imperfect impression, either all over or over the parts to which the ground
color has been applied, without showing the writing, figures, or other devices,
or those parts of the document will be only slightly indicated, and in the event
of the original document being first subjected to chemical agency in order to
remove the color first applied all over or over parts of the surface, the paper
will be destroyed or so injured before the ground color is removed as to prevent
the document being negotiated or available for copying.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
.
The paper to be used for having printed thereon the necessary form for a
barik note, a bill of exchange, or other document requiring like security is first
coated all over or partly over with a printing ink, prepared with suitable
drying oils or varnishes, and this may be done in any convenient manner;
and when coated only partly over its surface, this is most conveniently done by
printing blocks or plates having so much and such parts of the surfaces raised
above the other parts as it is desired shall be coated over with printing ink.
The colors preferred to be used are yellow, red, brown, or green, but others
may be employed; and in preparing yellow or green colors it is preferred to
use brimstone with other ordinary coloring matters to produce the desired
yellow or green color. When red or brown colors are to be used, it is preferred
to employ burned potter's or other clay, using other ordinary coloring matters
therewith to produce the desired red or brown color, and such coloring matters
are ground up with suitable varnish or drying oils, as in the ordinary manu-
facture of printing inks. Burned clay may also be used when preparing
yellow and green printing ink, whether using brimstone or not, and where the
color to be used will not be injured thereby, in place of or in combination with
varnishes or drying oils, coal tar or creosote may be used, and in all cases,
except when using coal tar or creosote it is preferred to mix a quantity of
carbon (that obtained by burning spirit is preferred) with the printing ink as
much as can be ground in, and yet admit of the desired color being obtained.
The paper being coated all over or over such part as may be desired, is then
to be printed from a plate or other printing surface, and by preference with

page_text: the ordinary black printing ink, though other colors of printing ink may be used
with the proper form for a bank note or a bill of exchange, or other printed
security, and written parts are also to be written on such previously coated
paper. When prepared by these means, such securities will not admit of being
copied by any of the known arts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Moss, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
THOS. MOSS. (L.S.)