Year: 1877

TREASURY.


The n. Y. Times of the 18th inst, con-
tains the following


A great many complaints have been
heard recently of the inconvenient and un-
comfortable abundance of counterfeit silver
coins in circulation. Dining g-saloon keep
ers, car conductors, the corner grocery man,
and even the usually careless bar-keeper,
have all become suspicious, and viii not
even accept without scrutiny the fairest aud
most genuine-looking pieces of silver To
ring coin does not appear to be a sufficient
test TO these careful worthies, for they have
found out that deciet has been SO ingenious
that the true ring has been obtained in
some of the basest counterfeits. Mi silver
coins are eyed with care" and the conduc-
tor refuses to 'punch in the presence Of the
passenger" until he is convinced beyond a
doubt that the quarter or half dollar he
presents is really good thing to make
change for. Inquiry was made yesterday
at the Sub-Treasury in this city as 10 the
quality and quantity of counterfeits known
chief coin detector, who has held his posi-
ton for many years, and is now one of the
most competent judges Of coin in the coun-
try, was referred to for information Mr.


Tandy says that there are great many
spurious coins in actual circulation, the in
genuity of counterfeiters who formerly
studied to produce limitations of paper cur
rency having evidently been turned to the
manufacture Of mental tokens. \ great
many good coins have been mistaken for
bad ones owing to the imperfect work done
at some Of the mints in the haste to supply
the demand made when the paper currency
was withdrawn. Many coins are found
with the edges between the miled rim and
the outer ring on the face beveled off as if
by machinery. This appearance is doubt
less caused in many instances by careful
pairing of the coin for the small amount of
silver obtained, but the quality of the silver
is not Of sufficient ineness to make such a
practice u very lucrative one. The coun-
terfeiters have devoted themselves almost
exclusively to the production of limitations


Of half-dollars and quarter-dolars. No


false dimes that were at all likely to deceive


have yet been seen. Several specimens OF


the haif-dollars found at the Sub Treasury


were shown. In appearance they were


very good, the impression being considered


excellent by Mr.. Tandy. In weight they


were light, when compared with genuine


coins. Submitted to the test Of the scale


the genuine coin weighed 1929 grains
the counterfeit, 142 grains. The test OF
the crucible showed the spurious coin to be
composed of antimony, lead, and zinc, which
really makes a fine imitation of well-madc


silver coin.


Most of the counterfeit coins are dated


back, the CLEAN Of new silver being very
; difficult to initiate. Even with experts the


difficulty of detecting these light coin,
among piles of silver Of thousands Of dollars
, is acknowledged to be very great. The
counterfeits are evidently not all made by


the same persons, as they are by no mean,
of uniform excellence Of workmanship. 4
number Of debased gold coins were shown
that had recently been detected. a so
piece, with an exterior fair to look upon, ,anU
apparently as good as gold,' was pro
nounced veXatious fraud, worth but Sc
1t had been carefully split, followed out


and filled with plantinum. When submit


ted to the scale test it weighed all that tax


law demanded. It's spuriousness had beer
detected by the eye ofan experienced hand


Ter Of coin, and Its "true inwardneSss" ex
posed by slight chipping of the edges
where the parts had been pressed together


a quarter eagle that had come from the


Bank of England had been served in the


same way, and when broken it was founc


to be packed with charges Of plantinur
deity fitted to the cavity made by the
! abstraction of the gold, its edges carefully
, .remilled, and it had undoubtedly changed


repeatedly, before its wickedness had beer
, detected. a California counterfeiter ha!
f recently invented new way for minins
gold that may have proved more profitable
than hunting for nuggets in the mountain


streams, although it can hardly be as com
, Portable means of securing livelihood
, From San Francisco was shown $2t


piece, bent and broken, from which projec
/ ted the ends of silver copper wires. a hol


had been made in the middle edge Of tn
, coin, and from this central opening branch
ed several galleries, reaching almost acros
o the inside Of the coin. The gold had beer
abstracted and its place filled up by coppe


wire. The weight of the coin was reduced
II, and by the use of scales this defect coulC
have been detected at once. But apparent
, ly the coin was good, and the only read,


eye of an expert could catch the marks o
tampering on the edge, or understand tn


measure Of the raised lines on the surface
I where the drill had approached too nea


the edge and the wire had crowded the golt
, when it was driven into the aperture.


The paternal author of an heiress wa
: annroached by a youth who requesteda fey