tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post6055242235310751587..comments2024-03-28T02:46:03.227-04:00Comments on The Historical Society: The Brixton Pound and LocalismRandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-72852668591990381532011-10-25T15:03:24.673-04:002011-10-25T15:03:24.673-04:00LD, stumbled across the website of the Brixton Pou...LD, stumbled across the website of the Brixton Pound printer: http://www.smith-ouzman.com/news34.htm <br /><br />Looks like they're taking anti-counterfeiting measures including, to quote: "watermarked paper with embedded fibres, sequential serial numbering, ultraviolet (UV) ink which fluoresces under UV light, micro-text and hologram foil."<br /><br />But I bet some of the others, particularly in locales without celebrities and PR reps to pull in extra investment into their currency experiments, do struggle with fraud.PWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-90790472847401809832011-10-24T16:18:16.583-04:002011-10-24T16:18:16.583-04:00You're welcome, PW! I know good and well that...You're welcome, PW! I know good and well that you wouldn't be researching it unless you really wanted to. <br /><br />If modern scrip systems are in the form of electronic credit / debit cards that can be "loaded" with dollars, that could help prevent counterfeiting. But it seems that type of private paper currency would be difficult to protect against counterfeiting.LDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09742066809468902814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-33138458857103428302011-10-24T09:48:48.109-04:002011-10-24T09:48:48.109-04:00Thanks for your comment, LD. This WSJ story http:/...Thanks for your comment, LD. This WSJ story http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124846739587579877.html states that "Historians say few scrip notes were counterfeited, in part because many didn't circulate long enough to get a racket up and running. There were a few attempts, though. In the late 1930s, two brothers from Superior, Wis., were charged with counterfeiting a local scrip.<br /><br />Their defense: It wasn't real money to begin with, so how could faking it be illegal? The judge didn't buy it. They were convicted."<br /><br />I admit to not being an expert in Depression era monetary policy, but like you, I think it would've been easier than the WSJ states because of the lack of watermarks and other security measures that typically adorn federal currency. <br /><br />Darn it! Now you've made me lose the three hours I'm going to spend researching this.PWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-71341387232673401822011-10-22T14:44:35.695-04:002011-10-22T14:44:35.695-04:00How do scrip systems guard against counterfeiting?...How do scrip systems guard against counterfeiting? It seems to me that this would be a huge challenge.LDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09742066809468902814noreply@blogger.com