A Visit To Ben Franklin's Printing Blocks

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,686
philadelphian Pillar of the Community United States 3253 Posts	Posted 02/04/2015 7:47 pm I'm irked that I didn't know about the recent discovery of this unique example of Franklin's anti-counterfeiting innovation of the nature print transfer block until MeadowviewCollector's post, but I stopped by the Library Company of Philadelphia today (founded by Franklin in 1731, and still active) to take a peek. The place is a treasure, and well worth the visit. Franklin's idea was that, however intricate a note's plate could be engraved, it was still engraved by the hand of man, and another man's hand could copy it. God's art, however, should be beyond the counterfeiter's artifice. Two border blocks were also discovered, this from the 1760 Delaware two pound note: And the three sage leaves, looking like they were picked yesterday, rather than 255 years ago: Edited by philadelphian 02/04/2015 7:48 pm Report this Post to the Staff

duncanbishop24 Pillar of the Community United States 898 Posts	Posted 02/04/2015 11:50 pm I knew about the leaves being a counterfeiting device, but I love the pictures. Thanks for posting. Report this Post to the Staff
WheatBack Pillar of the Community United States 2851 Posts	Posted 02/05/2015 12:40 am Very cool and something I need to checkout if I ever make it to Philadelphia. Report this Post to the Staff
hajduk Pillar of the Community Germany 645 Posts	Posted 02/05/2015 12:03 pm Wow, perhaps I can see this one day. That is pretty cool. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 190540 Posts	Posted 02/05/2015 2:55 pm This is new to me. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
scurry64 Pillar of the Community United States 900 Posts	Posted 02/06/2015 12:12 pm I read about this in Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson, but these are the first images I've seen of his anticounterfeiting measures. Very cool to see. I must make it over to the other side of the Commonwealth to see this . . . and the mint as well. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 1,686

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: US Coins and Currency Forums Forum: US Paper Money and Banknotes

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.28 seconds to rattle this change.