Counterfeiting and Technology ─ A History of the Long Struggle Between Paper-Money Counterfeiters and Security Printing

Since the “invention” of paper during China’s Tang dynasty, legitimate authorities have fought side by side with equally imaginative and determined rogues in an attempt to improve (or copy) the technology and security of paper money. Often the very men who attempted to counterfeit the currency of the time pushed innovators to greater refinements, always seeking designs and securities that fell in line with the highest form of the art.Now, their stories and advancements are captured from era to era by paper-money historian Bob McCabe. In vivid detail he explores the lives and histories of the men who made ingenious advancements to the chemistry and ingenuity of America’s paper money. Notorious counterfeiters, mostly unknown or unrecognized for their own dishonest cleverness, are finally brought to light. McCabe details the beginning and evolution of the U.S. Secret Service and the men who sought to capture the villains. And he follows the technology of American paper money—from paper-making to fugitive inks to roller presses—from early colonial attempts to the modern era.Counterfeiting and Technology presents the history of paper money the way it’s never been seen before—chemistry and artistry, inventions and innovations, and daring tales of arrest and escape. Collectors and historians of American money will love this engaging and informative narrative about our nation’s paper currency.