COUNTERFEIT SOVEREIGNS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3883, 29 December 1883, Page 4

COUNTERFEIT SOVEREIGNS.

The London Times, on tlio authority of tho Scotland Yard ofiiuiiib, stalo that it in believed that upwards of 200,000 spnriou:-) sovereigns have recently been put in circulation lit Home by a gang of clover coiners. Tho counterfeits .stand all tlie ordinary tests, mid in weight, ring , , coloui , , and appearance arc very similar to tlio genuine coin. Each sovereign is electrotyped with real gold to tlio value of about 7s o'd, u:id tlio coating' is so thick that they resist tlio nitric acid test. Tho imitation, therefore, is a7i excellent one, siiid oven an export would liavo difliculty in detecting it, especially as tlio coins have been .struck from various dies, sonic being of tho Australian .stump, while of those- purporting to be English money some have the nhield and others luivo St. George and tho dragon »n the rover.so .side. Some of the.so coins bei'ire lonjjf may find their way to this colony, but aw (lie fraud will more easily be detected after they have been some time in circulation, it is only of .suspiciously new looking sovereigns that the public need feel at all doubtful. Considering tho amount of bullion tho sovereigns contain, they must oinjli have cost at least lUs to Manufacture, ho that .supposing only 50,01)0 were .struck oil' at once tho originators of this gigantic swindle must have had originally a capital of. at least £20,(100 or £30,000 to work upon. It is sad to think that so much capital and .so much success is such a nefarious swindle on the public. We can only hope that few, it any, of tho .spurious coins -will find their way to this colony, and that .speedy and condign punishment will shortly be the reward of the accomplished gang of swindlers concerned in this gigantic fraud.