Counterfeit

[beegee]

I just watched the Discovery Channel's show on counterfeit money. It was fascinating to learn about the history of some of the world's best engravers, and the technology that has evolved in the currency business. The detailed engraving on today's currency is mind-boggling, but they showed a female hand, push-engraving a master printing plate. Too little do we appreciate the enormity of "making money."

 

[Sam]

I have a friend who's a retired Secret Service agent, and he said that every time the mint comes up with a new trick to prevent counterfeiting, it's only a short time before the crooks are able to replicate the process. I guess it's a game of cat & mouse.

Yes, I've heard the mint still uses hand-pushers for a portion of the plate making.

 

[John B.]

A couple of years back I had the pleasure of meeting one of the Treasuary's lady engravers at the FEGA show.
Nice lady and very talented. She showed me a few pictures of herself hand pushing.
She was not very happy that so much of the plate work is now done by machines.
Don't know if they were there checking up on the possible competition or just intrested in other hard metal engravers.
Best, John.

 

[Ray Cover]

I was recently contacted by an engraver from the Bureau of Engraving about classes. She said that they are about to switch to a total digital system for our currency and she was looking to other fields of engraving as a career change.

Ray