I though these were cool as heck. Even without the stamp on the $1, you could tell there's something wrong with Chase's face on the $1 bill. Pretty impressive considering the time period. I'm guessing the counterfeiters did not have intaglio equipment. How were these made I wonder? Were they drawn by hand?
They were printed using the offset method of printing, with multiple printing passes just like the intaglio prints. It would be disconcerting today to appreciate how much currency in circulation during that time was actually counterfeit, raised(making a $10 out of a $1) or even fraudulently issued. Even state legislatures like South Carolina's in 1872 "authorised" fraudulent currency. Freeing a convicted counterfeiter from prison was the objective of the criminal gang that attempted to break into Lincoln's tomb in an attempt to ransom their associate in return for Lincoln's body. I myself have several forged notes from the 1860s on up into the 1890s - my black box collection.
