Publisher's Synopsis
This is an account of the world's unusual and ingenious counterfeiters. Murray Teigh Bloom has searched out their stories for a number of years. In this book he gives us what he considers the most bizarre, daring and incredible items from his files.
There is the case of the Yugoslavian refugee in Italy who made a fortune minting and selling British gold sovereigns but who couldn't be prosecuted for counterfeiting because such coins are no longer legal tender. There is the bizarre story of "The Man Who Almost Stole Portugal" through an incredibly ingenious plan of bank note counterfeiting. There is the case of a London Stock Exchange clerk who lived and died a wealthy man before his activities were discovered. Also included are cases such as the rare stamp counterfeiter who was so successful that stamp dealers banded together and pensioned him off; the penman so incredibly delicate and industrious in his work that he drew U.S. bills that fooled even the experts.
These and others go to make up the curious galaxy of exceptionally talented men that is presented here. The book is a natural for the student of true crime as well as for those who want something that is completely original and off-beat.
