GENERAL — 19/262 — Counterfeiting
At the turn of the 14th century, when the quality of the Czech currency deteoriated due to the replacement of silver with cheaper metals, counterfeiting also improved. Tis happened despite strict persecutions and the death penalties that were imposed for such offenses. One example of such counterfeiting included lead coins plated with silver. The authenticity could be deteced by biting the coin (lead is soft, while silver is not). Counterfeiter's workshops were often hidden in karst and sandstone caves and equipped with small laboratories, as silvering the metal was a chemical process requiring special tools.
TRIVIA
— Coin clipping, the practice of shaving small amounts of precious metal from coins, dates back to antiquity and became widespread in medieval Europe when coins were made of gold and silver. Clippers used simple tools like knives or shears to trim the edges, gradually amassing enough metal to melt down and resell. While profitable for the culprits, the practice weakened entire economies by devaluing currency, fostering inflation, and eroding trust in money. Monarchs and governments constantly struggled to suppress this crime, which was just one among several forms of "coining", including counterfeiting, melting, and washing.
The crime was regarded with extreme severity, as it undermined the very foundation of the economy and royal authority. Coiners often faced brutal punishments. In the Holy Roman Empire, for example, being boiled to death in oil is recorded for coin forgers and extremely grave murderers, with executions recorded in Danzig in 1452, Stralsund in 1471, and even as late as 1687 in Bremen. — Coins were also vulnerable to "sweating", which is when silver coins would be placed in a leather bag with rocks that would be vigorously shaken. This would produce silver dust, which could later be removed from the bag and reused.
-> -> ->
