SPURIOUS SOVEREIGNS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume V, Issue 10, 10 December 1883, Page 2

SPURIOUS SOVEREIGNS.

The Londoi&Times, w tlpauthoritf of ilie Scotla^Yanl offiehliJ, aays that it is beUove<|&at>pwavil3;Of 200,00Q spurious sovereigns have recently been put m circulation at home by a gang of clever coiners -The counterfeits aland all the ordinary test^, and m weight, ring, color, and appearajice are very similar to the genuine coin. Each sovereign is electroplated with real gold to the value of about 7s 6d, and the coating is so thick ihat_ jthey, resist the nitric acTd" telfc. "Tne'lmitation, therefore, is an excellent one, and, even an expert would have jdifficu^ty- ia detecting;' it, especially as the coins have been stiuck from various dies, some being of the Australian stajmp, while of ;those purporting to be English monby pome have the shield jnnd others have St George.and the dragon r on the 1 reserve' side. "' 'Sortie \>f tiese coins before long may find their way to' this qplony, but as the fraud will move easily be detected after (.hey liave been some time m circulation, it is ■ mly of BUKj>iciously2new looicfug sovere igns that the public need feel at all doub .fill. Considering tae -amount^ of bullion the sovereigns contain, they must daoh; have cost 10s to manufacture, so that supposing only 50,000 were struck; off at once the originators, ,of this giguhtic 'swiudle • mrist* haye 1 had* originally a capital of at loast £20,000 or £30,000 to work upon.; It i? sad to thick that so much capital and so much ingenuity should have been used with such success m such a nefarious swimllo. i