As a starter here is the recipe given for how to counterfeit a shilling transcribed from Mayhew's “Those that will not work, comprising; Prostitutes. Thieves. Swindlers. Beggars”:
“It is generally effected in this way. Take a shilling, or other sterling coin, scour it well with soap and water; dry it, and then grease it with suet or tallow ; partly wipe this off, but not wholly. Take some plaster of Paris, and make a collar either of paper or tin. Pour the plaster of Paris on the piece of coin in the collar or band round it. Leave it until it sets or hardens, when the impression will be made. You turn it up and the piece sticks in the mould. Turn the reverse side, and you take a similar impression from it ; then you have the mould complete. You put the pieces of the mould together, and then pare it. You make a channel in order to pour the metal into it in a state of fusion, having the neck of the channel as small as possible. The smaller the channel the less the imperfection in the " knerling."
You make claws to the mould, so that it will stick together while you pour the metal into it. But before doing so, you must properly dry it. If you pour the hot metal into it when damp, it will fly in pieces. This is the general process by which counterfeit coin is made.
When you have your coin cast, there is a "gat," or piece of refuse metal, sticks to it. You pair this off with a pair of scissors or a knife—generally a pair of scissors—then you file the edges of the coin to perfect the " knerling."
The coin is then considered finished, except the coating. At this time it is of a bluish colour, and not in a state fit for circulation, as the colour would excite suspicion.
You get a galvanic battery with nitric acid and sulphuric acid, a mixture of each diluted in water to a certain strength. You then get some cyanide and attach a copper wire to a screw of the battery. Immerse that in the cyanide of silver when the process of electro-plating commences.
The coin has to pass through another process. Get a little lampblack and oil, and make it into a sort of composition "slumming” the coin with it. This takes the bright colour away, and makes it fit for circulation. Then wrap the coins up separately in paper so as to prevent them rubbing_._
When coiners are going to circulate them, they take them up and rub each piece separately. The counterfeit coin will then have the greatest resemblance to genuine coin, if well-manufactured.
While this is the general mode by which it is made, a skilful artificer, or keen-eyed detective can trace the workmanship of different makers.”
It’s easy to take for granted the ingenuity of a low-class criminal, but that process is terrific. Victorian Ghetto Electroplating! Mayhew continues with how much each fake shilling could be sold for, and gives accounts of several police raids on counterfeiters.
If you’re a GM that recipe should give you more than a few plot hooks. Here’s a couple to chew on:
Someone is selling counterfeit undead-repelling charms emblazoned with an easily replicated religious seal. After a few encounters that highlight the charms ineffectiveness, perhaps the players are called into search for the mighty entity that is able to ignore the once protective wards.
The players will have to find the counterfeiters before something worse stumbles into the now unsafe neighborhood.
Or maybe someone is forging Sigil Magic, but stealing finished runes and replacing them with inert fakes to drive a rune shop out of business.
More mundane but still interesting, a certain neighborhood is being flooded with high quality counterfeit coins. A PC with some knowledge of the process might be able to follow the trail of ingredients at local chemist’s shops and keep an eye open for forges.
Or maybe a couple of down on their luck PC’s need a little money. A galvanic battery can’t be that hard to make right?
If you want to turn this on its ear, instead of something worthless being made into something that looks valuable, something valuable might be used for raw scrap metal used to forge the coins. Maybe lost in the utensils and nails, a conjuring focus get’s melted and now whenever a coin from that batch changes hands something odd happens. Maybe the person being paid feels more generous than usual, or greedier. Or any actual Shilling that come in contact with the counterfeit ones rot away.
You make claws to the mould, so that it will stick together while you pour the metal into it. But before doing so, you must properly dry it. If you pour the hot metal into it when damp, it will fly in pieces. This is the general process by which counterfeit coin is made.
When you have your coin cast, there is a "gat," or piece of refuse metal, sticks to it. You pair this off with a pair of scissors or a knife—generally a pair of scissors—then you file the edges of the coin to perfect the " knerling."
The coin is then considered finished, except the coating. At this time it is of a bluish colour, and not in a state fit for circulation, as the colour would excite suspicion.
You get a galvanic battery with nitric acid and sulphuric acid, a mixture of each diluted in water to a certain strength. You then get some cyanide and attach a copper wire to a screw of the battery. Immerse that in the cyanide of silver when the process of electro-plating commences.
The coin has to pass through another process. Get a little lampblack and oil, and make it into a sort of composition "slumming” the coin with it. This takes the bright colour away, and makes it fit for circulation. Then wrap the coins up separately in paper so as to prevent them rubbing_._
When coiners are going to circulate them, they take them up and rub each piece separately. The counterfeit coin will then have the greatest resemblance to genuine coin, if well-manufactured.
While this is the general mode by which it is made, a skilful artificer, or keen-eyed detective can trace the workmanship of different makers.”
It’s easy to take for granted the ingenuity of a low-class criminal, but that process is terrific. Victorian Ghetto Electroplating! Mayhew continues with how much each fake shilling could be sold for, and gives accounts of several police raids on counterfeiters.
If you’re a GM that recipe should give you more than a few plot hooks. Here’s a couple to chew on:
Someone is selling counterfeit undead-repelling charms emblazoned with an easily replicated religious seal. After a few encounters that highlight the charms ineffectiveness, perhaps the players are called into search for the mighty entity that is able to ignore the once protective wards.
The players will have to find the counterfeiters before something worse stumbles into the now unsafe neighborhood.
Or maybe someone is forging Sigil Magic, but stealing finished runes and replacing them with inert fakes to drive a rune shop out of business.
More mundane but still interesting, a certain neighborhood is being flooded with high quality counterfeit coins. A PC with some knowledge of the process might be able to follow the trail of ingredients at local chemist’s shops and keep an eye open for forges.
Or maybe a couple of down on their luck PC’s need a little money. A galvanic battery can’t be that hard to make right?
If you want to turn this on its ear, instead of something worthless being made into something that looks valuable, something valuable might be used for raw scrap metal used to forge the coins. Maybe lost in the utensils and nails, a conjuring focus get’s melted and now whenever a coin from that batch changes hands something odd happens. Maybe the person being paid feels more generous than usual, or greedier. Or any actual Shilling that come in contact with the counterfeit ones rot away.
No comments:
Post a Comment