Year: 1865




The methods of passing base coin are very
ingenious. The straight forward "pitcher" is
the most daring. He puts the base coin upon
the shop counter, and takes his chance of de-
lection. Should the shopman attempt to test
his money, he will stop him if possible. He will
ask the shop-keepeT whether he means to insult
him, snatch the half-crown out Of his hand, and
threaten to never enter the shop again. The
thief will sometimes pretend to stand upon his
honor, and come back into the shop and insist
upon having his half-crown tested But he has
substituted a good half-crown for the original
bad coin and so comes off with flying colors.-
The thief will now make purchase, and again
changing the coin, be, after ali succeeds in pass
ing his bad half-crown. Twilight is the best
time for passing bad money; and more counter
feits are passed al this time of day than al any
other. The thieves always go two together for
this work. One carries the coin but never at
tempts to pass any. The pitcher does the pass
ing in the shop, and takes care never to enter
a shop with more than one base coin upon him,
so that if he comes to grief, the police find only
one counterfeit upon him, and this he processes
to have taken in the way of trade. Whenever a
man is detected passing spurious gold sill
yer, his pal, the 'swagsman5 is always close
by He carries all the base money, together
with all the small purchases which the pitcher
makes, in order to get rid of the "snide.r A





half-a-crown, and generally prefers gold.


There is one method of passing base gold
which think would deceive any person not in
the secret. The thief enters the shop with the
intention of passing bad sovereign. He makes
a small purchase, amounting to about eighteen
pence, and offers a good sovereign In payment.
The shop-keeper tests the coin, finds it to be
good, and gives the thief his proper change
After receiving the change, the thief says,
oil llv ic nj tv tn yrOu Of al
this change; and, now l come to think of it, /
know l have some small change about me. -
The thief gives back the change, and the shop
keeper returns the sovereign, which the thief
puts in his pocket He then searches for his
small change, and, on counting it, finds that he
has not quite enough and must, after all, change
his sovereign. He takes the golden coin out Of
his pocket again and puts it into the hand of
the shopkeeper. The tradesman has already
rung and tested the sovereign, again gives the
thief his change, and he walks quietly away
Nevertheless, the shopkeeper is duped, and he
has taken a bad sovereign. When the thief gave
the sovereign the second time, he took bad
one which he had ready in the same pocket
with the good one.


Women also very expert in passing bad
coin They will go two together into a shop,
make some purchases tender good sovereign
in payment, and take their departure In about
week after the purchase, these two modest
looking and soberly dressed women return to
the shop. They are very sorry to trouble the
shopkeeper, but he gave them-by mistake, no
doubt-a bad half-sovereign in change week
ago. The whole case is then gone into. They
call to the shopman' S memory their having been
in the shop week ago, where they STOOD what
they bought, and who served them. shop
keeper viii occasionally, under such circum-
stances, take the bad half-soyereign, and give
them a good one in exchange, rather than have
any disturbance.-IO Once q Week.