Half dollar, Maryland, 1770, Nicholson Collection, NM2021.3
In 1744, Franklin partnered with David Hall to print notes for the New Jersey and Pennsylvania colonies. Along with a nature print by Franklin, they included the phrase ‘Tis Death to Counterfeit.’ This threatening statement was backed by the law as the penalty for counterfeiting in the 18th century was death. However, there are no death sentences for counterfeiting recorded during this period.
In Maryland, William Green of Annapolis used other anti-counterfeiting methods including using random wavy (indented) borders that matched the original stub book; elaborate engravings; unusual punctuation, and superfluous characters. In the example of the Half Dollar from Maryland, issued on March 1 1770 (NM2021.3), we can see the engraver’s initials ‘TS’ (Thomas Sparrow) at the top, a small ‘a’ inserted between ‘half’ and ‘dollar’, and an accent mark over the ‘a’ in ‘Exchange’. These subtle design features were included to foil counterfeiters.
Counterfeit currency is still a challenge for governments today, and they continue to use design features to make it more difficult for fake money to be produced. Elaborate designs and hidden elements are still used, as well as new technologies such as polymer notes, 3D images, rolling colour effects, and tactile features.
