How To Test Coins

"Here's the way we test coins in the treasury," and tho export swiftly poised the dollar piece herizontally on the tips of his forefinger, holding the thumb a quarter of an inch aw.iy trom it, and gave it a brisk tap with n nother coin. A clear, silvery ring sounded out. "Good; but here, listen!"' and ho repeated the operation with another coin that gave out a dull, heavy clink that ceased almost as soon as it began. "Type metal and load, molded too. That isa wretched counterfeit." "How do yon teil that it is molded?" He held tho two coins so that the light Btruck on their edges. "Just comparo the reeding, will you, or inilling, as most people cali it. In this genuino coin this ia very clear and sharp cut; in the counterfeit it is coarse and dull. That is because it is molded instoad of being stamped in cold metal like the governmont coins." "Why do the counterf citers not use the same cold process?" "It costa too much and inakes too much noise. With a mold, you see, a counterfeiter can carry on his work in a garret, and if a policeman comes in he can shy the wholo outfit out of the window. But it takes great power to run a die. Still some high flying counterfeiters do use them, and their work ia usually harder to detect, though it ia never bo perfect as that of the government mint." "What is the surest test for counterfeit coin for popular use?" "The looks of the reeding, as I was telling you. The milling, by the way, is on the face of the coin and not on the edge, as most people think. That's the surest and easiest thing, but of course other tests have to be used, especially for weight and thickness. A little scalo for weight and measure is the handiest thing to eettle that. Then for plated coin a drop of acid squirted on the edge where the plating wears most will chew np the base metal in a hurry." "What acid do you use?" "For gold coin; a mixture of strong nitric acid, 6 drams, muriatic acid, fifteen drops, and water, five drams, is used; for sil ver, twenty-four grains of nitrato of silver and thirty drops of nitric acid, with one ounce of water. One drop is sufficient. If the coin is heavily plated we scrapc it a little before putting on the acid."