Counterfeiters sometimes make ten bills of nine by what is termed
piecing. Thus, a counterfeit note is cut into ten pieces by the
counterfeiter, and these pieces are used in piecing nine genuine
bills, from each of which a piece has been cut. The nine genuine
pieces, thus obtained, are then pasted together, and with the tenth
counterfeit piece added, make a tenth bill, which is the gain.
Piecing bank-bills is not a very successful practice. One who
possesses such information as here given, can readily detect the
difference between the counterfeit and the genuine. This difference
is, however, made less apparent by the counterfeiter, who defaces
the counterfeit part, so as to give the note a worn appearance.
Counterfeiting is rendered very difficult in consequence of the
remarkable excellence of the work on the government and national
currency, as also from the difficulty of imitating the green. But this
currency, if successfully imitated by counterfeiters, will repay large
outlay and care, as the greenbacks pass anywhere in the nation, and a
counterfeit may be carried to other states or sections as it becomes
known in any particular locality. National bank currency may be
counterfeited by preparing a plate, and then with simple change in the
name of the bank the counterfeit can be adapted to the various towns
where banks are located. This much is written, not to lessen the value
of or confidence in the issues of the government, but to admonish the
public against the dangers of a false security.
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[Illustration: HOW TO ADVERTISE]