SPURIOUS COINS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 139, 29 May 1935, Page 6

SPURIOUS COINS

Circulating in Hastings HALFPENNIES AS SHILLINGS Clever Imitations Made Spurious shilling-pieces have made their appearance in Hastings and a warning is given to those who are in the habit of handling large sums in silver to make a close examination of the coins which come into their possession.

A Hastings retailer brought into the “Tribune” office yesterday afternoon one of these coins which had been received over the counter during the day, and one could be easily pardoned for mistaking it for a genuine coin. It consisted of an ordinary halfpenny coated with some silvery substance, which, however, did not rub off readily as would have been the case had it been mercury, which is often used to produce a silvery appearance. Passed over the counter with the obverse the head, side uppermost, it therefore, at a cursory glance, resembled a shilling and could be readily accepted as such.

However, on closer examination it is possible to see that it is slightly larger than the ordinary shilling, it lacks milling, and the design is totally different from that on the latest issue of coins. The halfpenny bears the unadorned head of the King, while the new shillings bear the head and shoulders of the King, the former wearing the crown and the latter the Royal robes. There are no doubt a number of such coins in circulation, due to the fact that considerable pains have been gone to to produce tho imitation, and therefore shopkeepers and others are warned to exercise care before hurriedly accepting coins which on closer inspection may prove to be spurious.