GB RPSL PB-CORRESP-LB-1011002-101102-0016

Draft

Item

• May 1828 (Creation)

Royal Philatelic Society London

2 Fr. B. Smith Eg N (National Bauts of Preland) Sir, Holy Reet Street Mhe Joby 1828 We have in vain fostred for your zerinted list from which we gathered the places whe Branches of your Banks wereestablished, and therefor as Dublin is not strictly a Branch Must a place whe you issue nous are cannot be sure thative sentals Four Greular Greſpecting the fraud committed atte time through the Medium the India Proofs Houdtrote to that place. We are the more doubtful on this point te on Coryour a lending to your office this afterzoon for a Circular Containing Lith A Branches – Dublin is placed entere itself the word Branches is printed, with the ton alphabetically arranged under it – arranged under it – As it would there be quite possible Veut our Cech who is confident he sen Letters to every one of your Branches, asprinted in the List then given might either not have hund Kun A Dublin before him or if he had might notham conside it a Branch – me thall not demur to refunding the t so carelessly paid away in Dublin, but me shattlegro dend à lake log from thund Hain a copy of our Aranlar boyour office there #thurst bu - us. M and as we have done from the other offices epente fre saying such spurious prices of Kroin Vasur inspressions We are six very respectfully Jau four humble seron PBMC MB. We have enclosed a Copy of the Arentar which un forwarded to the different. Branches – – (see ther side) SIR, 69, FLEET STREET, -Dec 31, 1940. Feby 25th 1843 WITHIN the two days last past, a Forgery of One Note from several of the Plates, which we have engraved for our Customers, has made its appearance, and as it is possible there may be others which have not yet come to light, we feel it our duty to notify you of the same, so that should it prove more extensive than we anticipate, you may be guarded against it. From the first knowledge of the use of India paper to this time, it has been customary for Engravers to take Proofs from their Plates upon India paper with Colombier backs, and to send such Proofs to Bankers in the Country, or their known Agents in London, when applied for, (in order to change their plates), but we have for many years counted the Specimens so sent, and always requested their return to us again. In the present instance we have seen Thirteen Forgeries, and they are all impressions taken by us from the original plates, and upon India paper, and no two are from the same plate; it is there- fore clear that the party, whoever he may be, has got possession of a set of specimens sent to some Banker, and they must have gone from our office a long time ago, as two of the plates are of Banks which have ceased business many years. Great ingenuity must have been practised, as the India proofs have been peeled from the Colombier paper, and then, by a very pure gum attached to a very thin paper, the operation effecting the double purpose of giving some con- sistence to the fragile India paper, and of enabling it to bear writing. A moment's reflection will show that they must have gotten into the hands of the rogue in the manner we state, and not from any of our men; because no one, or two, or three men could have obtained pos- session of all the different impressions we have seen; they must have known that two, were of Banks which never existed, some were without any numbers whatever, and several with written numbers, while the real Notes have the numbers printed by machinery; and besides, were our men disposed to be rogues, which we believe they are not, they would be more likely to attempt the experiment with common or Bank Note paper, than India. Our precautions have been such, that during a period of twenty years, in which we have printed scores of millions of Notes, no one impression has ever got into circulation from our plates upon note paper, or indeed any other but the India; we exceedingly regret, although we could not possibly have anticipated, this new species of fraud, and have now taken measures to prevent any impression being pulled from any plate of ours, new or old, which in any way involves any money transactions, but those with the word specimen conspicuously stamped upon them in two vital parts, or such as are pulled for our customers in the way of business. A person is in custody, but until his examination it cannot be known whether he is a tool of, or the real, culprit. We trust we shall be excused for addressing you in the form of a circular; but this information, to be of use, should be promptly conveyed, and it would have taken many days to write to all our Friends and Customers. We are, Sir, Very respectfully and faithfully, Your most obedient Servants, To the Agent of the (Sigmund) Verkins Bacon's Betch National Baube of Ireland Dublin. WB. We think a Copy of the above was sent loyan in andz 1944 as well as to the Branches wetry as me arc not certain me in Ireland but ward on to forward - 2 Fr. B. Smith Eg N (National Bauts of Preland) Sir, Holy Reet Street Mhe Joby 1828 We have in vain fostred for your zerinted list from which we gathered the places whe Branches of your Banks wereestablished, and therefor as Dublin is not strictly a Branch Must a place whe you issue nous are cannot be sure thative sentals Four Greular Greſpecting the fraud committed atte time through the Medium the India Proofs Houdtrote to that place. We are the more doubtful on this point te on Coryour a lending to your office this afterzoon for a Circular Containing Lith A Branches – Dublin is placed entere itself the word Branches is printed, with the ton alphabetically arranged under it – arranged under it – As it would there be quite possible Veut our Cech who is confident he sen Letters to every one of your Branches, asprinted in the List then given might either not have hund Kun A Dublin before him or if he had might notham conside it a Branch – me thall not demur to refunding the t so carelessly paid away in Dublin, but me shattlegro dend à lake log from thund Hain a copy of our Aranlar boyour office there #thurst bu - us. M and as we have done from the other offices epente fre saying such spurious prices of Kroin Vasur inspressions We are six very respectfully Jau four humble seron PBMC MB. We have enclosed a Copy of the Arentar which un forwarded to the different. Branches – – (see ther side) SIR, 69, FLEET STREET, -Dec 31, 1940. Feby 25th 1843 WITHIN the two days last past, a Forgery of One Note from several of the Plates, which we have engraved for our Customers, has made its appearance, and as it is possible there may be others which have not yet come to light, we feel it our duty to notify you of the same, so that should it prove more extensive than we anticipate, you may be guarded against it. From the first knowledge of the use of India paper to this time, it has been customary for Engravers to take Proofs from their Plates upon India paper with Colombier backs, and to send such Proofs to Bankers in the Country, or their known Agents in London, when applied for, (in order to change their plates), but we have for many years counted the Specimens so sent, and always requested their return to us again. In the present instance we have seen Thirteen Forgeries, and they are all impressions taken by us from the original plates, and upon India paper, and no two are from the same plate; it is there- fore clear that the party, whoever he may be, has got possession of a set of specimens sent to some Banker, and they must have gone from our office a long time ago, as two of the plates are of Banks which have ceased business many years. Great ingenuity must have been practised, as the India proofs have been peeled from the Colombier paper, and then, by a very pure gum attached to a very thin paper, the operation effecting the double purpose of giving some con- sistence to the fragile India paper, and of enabling it to bear writing. A moment's reflection will show that they must have gotten into the hands of the rogue in the manner we state, and not from any of our men; because no one, or two, or three men could have obtained pos- session of all the different impressions we have seen; they must have known that two, were of Banks which never existed, some were without any numbers whatever, and several with written numbers, while the real Notes have the numbers printed by machinery; and besides, were our men disposed to be rogues, which we believe they are not, they would be more likely to attempt the experiment with common or Bank Note paper, than India. Our precautions have been such, that during a period of twenty years, in which we have printed scores of millions of Notes, no one impression has ever got into circulation from our plates upon note paper, or indeed any other but the India; we exceedingly regret, although we could not possibly have anticipated, this new species of fraud, and have now taken measures to prevent any impression being pulled from any plate of ours, new or old, which in any way involves any money transactions, but those with the word specimen conspicuously stamped upon them in two vital parts, or such as are pulled for our customers in the way of business. A person is in custody, but until his examination it cannot be known whether he is a tool of, or the real, culprit. We trust we shall be excused for addressing you in the form of a circular; but this information, to be of use, should be promptly conveyed, and it would have taken many days to write to all our Friends and Customers. We are, Sir, Very respectfully and faithfully, Your most obedient Servants, To the Agent of the (Sigmund) Verkins Bacon's Betch National Baube of Ireland Dublin. WB. We think a Copy of the above was sent loyan in andz 1944 as well as to the Branches wetry as me arc not certain me in Ireland but ward on to forward -

• English