OF BASER METAL

Evening Star, Issue 22975, 4 June 1938, Page 3

OF BASER METAL

The new Italian regulations for the marking of gold, which have come into effect, followed the discovery of widespread frauds in selling articles which were offered as solid gold (says the ‘ Manchester Guardian ’l. Signor Mussolini himself discovered that one of his most treasured medals, in addition to his wedding ring, contained only sufficient gold to cover the base metal within. But Italy is not the only country which has suffered from gold fakers, who must have been doing a roaring trade in Germany before the war. Many of the trophies presented by the ex-Kaiser during his heyday have since proved to be skilful imitations of the genuine metal. A French auctioneer, when disposing of the property of the actor Coqueliu a few years .ago. found that a pair of cuff links given by the Ka : ser to mark a celebrated performance were merely goid-n'ated. Another of that monarch’s nresents—a magnificent-looking cup which he put up for competition in a big yacht race —later turned out to he a pewter pot which had been gilded over by the artful makers.'