Technological aspects of money counterfeiting in Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires in the XIX – the early XX century

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15421/272022

Abstract

The study of the coin producing processes is an integral part of a numismatic studies, which allows not only to establish the relationship of the coin to the minting it on a state mint and determine its type, but also to distinguish between authentic coins of the state minting and the antique fake, as well as counterfeit coins, made for the purpose of damage of the money circulation and obtaining an unauthorized profit. The article uses a set of general scientific methods, citation of the archival materials is performed by transcription. Previously unpublished materials of the state historical archives and newspapers publications and samples of the contemporary coins from the collections of state museums were used as the main sources of study. The full chain of the counterfeit coins production gradually consisted of such a stages: the metal selection; production of the molds or stamps; production of blanks for future counterfeiting (metal blank); application of the images on the blank, if necessary – the application of a surface coating and finishing it with other tools. It was possible to obtain ready-made counterfeits of a coin with a layer of surface coating with amalgam in two ways: coating the workpiece with a relief already applied with stamps or minting a stamp on a blank already coated with gold or silver layer. Regarding the application of the technology of casting counterfeit money, gypsum molds are most often mentioned in contemporary sources, although we have introduced into scientific circulation only metal (often copper) molds. We assume that the potential counterfeiters got rid of these molds as unsuccessful and unusable. The product of the foundry molds, presses or other production equipment of counterfeiters were the blanks of the counterfeit coins. The technical process used by counterfeiters differed significantly from the chain of the processes practiced at the state mint. The reason of it we see in the inaccessibility of getting by the counterfeiters of the complex technical equipment and their use for illegal purposes in such a way that this process was invisible to others to hide criminal activity. The prospect of further research we see in the expansion of the source base used and the study of preserved samples of counterfeit coins and tools for their manufacture using the modern measuring technical devices and technologies.

Published

2020-12-26