The Counterfeit Coin Detector Patent Archive

Every device ever patented to catch a bad coin

Counterfeit detector

Patent drawing of an 1853 coin tester showing a rectangular gage plate with five graduated slots labeled D through H mounted on two posts above a base, with hidden dotted lines revealing internal pivoting levers and a rod I running beneath the plate; a second elevation view shows a single lever swinging a coin through the gage into a collection area below.COUNTERFEIT-COIN DETECTOR.Gideon B. Smith · September 6, 1853Technical patent drawing showing a long pivoting lever balance with multiple circular coin-sized cavities labeled E, F, G, H, L, and M along its length, mounted on a base with two pillars, alongside a small separate weight piece labeled J and K.BALANCE FOR DETECTING SPURIOUS COIN.John Allender · November 27, 1855Patent drawing of an 1857 coin balance showing a triangular graduated scale beam mounted on uprights with a lever, index pointer, and a plate with slots sized for different U.S. gold coin denominations.BALANCE FOR DETECTING COUNTERFEIT MONEYFerdinand J. Herpers · December 29, 1857Patent drawing showing a rectangular brass plate with a sliding scale marked for gold and silver coins, numbered diameter and thickness scales, and studs for testing coin weight and size, alongside a perspective view and cross-section.Coin-DetectorH. Maranville · February 14, 1860Patent drawing showing a mechanical coin-counting apparatus with paired vertical guide channels, a central tilting balance plate, adjustable counterweights on threaded arms, and swinging vanes directing coins to separate receptacles, shown in top view and two cross-sectional views.IMPROVEMENT IN COIN-COUNTERSAron Bernstein · October 31, 1876Technical patent drawing of a balance-lever coin detector showing a gage-arm A with cross-pieces B, D, and K on one side, an elongated weighted arm E on the other, pivoted atop a stand G, with additional detail views of the pivot mechanism and gage cross-section.IMPROVEMENT IN COIN-DETECTERSPatrick Doherty · June 19, 1877Patent drawing showing five figures of a pocket coin-testing device with labeled tubes (A), a weighted trip-lever (B), and casing (C), including top views and cross-sections, and a version mounted to a counter or money-drawer.IMPROVEMENT IN COUNTERFEIT-COIN DETECTERS.William H. Rice · October 16, 1877Patent drawing showing a rectangular cabinet divided into rows of labeled coin-detector cases (A) with inlet slots (a) for coin denominations, feeding into a series of adjacent boxes (D), plus a cross-sectional view revealing an internal tilting poise mechanism (B) inside a detector case.IMPROVEMENT IN COUNTERFEIT-COIN DETECTER AND COIN-RECEIVER.Samuel A. Field · May 14, 1878Patent drawing of a 19th-century counterfeit coin detector showing a slotted measuring table above a coin box, with internal cylinders, floats, and trays for weighing coins using quicksilver.COUNTERFEIT-COIN DETECTOR.John B. Atwater · September 19, 1882Patent drawing of a folding pocket coin balance, showing a slotted metal plate pivoting on knife-edge bearings between two hinged standards mounted in a shallow box, with a small counterweight at one end and a removable supplemental plate with smaller slots for testing gold coins.COIN-TESTER.Merritt Clarke · March 6, 1883Patent drawing showing a boxed coin-detector mechanism with a pivoting weighted lever, coin pans, a scale-beam arm with a hook, and a coin-roll compressor with sliding guides, illustrated in five labeled figures.COIN-DETECTOREmil Bachmann · September 18, 1883Patent drawing of a slender pencil-shaped metal holder with a pointed pencil tip at one end and a rounded eraser cap at the other, showing an extendable pivoting arm and a sliding notched sleeve marked with coin denomination numbers along its graduated scale.COMBINED PENCIL-HOLDER, ERASER-HOLDER, AND COIN-TESTER.Rudolph Wm. Riess · November 12, 1895Technical patent drawing showing a complex mechanical coin-testing apparatus with multiple gears, levers, springs, and pivoting arms arranged within a rectangular housing frame, including a knob-topped shaft and numbered reference points identifying individual components.APPARATUS FOR DISTINGUISHING GENUINE FROM SPURIOUS COINSJohn E. Evard · December 17, 1901Patent drawing of an inclined chute apparatus with two electromagnets positioned along the coin path, showing a coin rolling on edge past the magnets and being deflected into separate collection compartments based on its metal composition.ART OF TESTING COINS OR OTHER TOKENS FOR GENUINENESSTheodore M. Edison · February 6, 1934