The counterfeit notes were extremely well executed, but they "could be distinguished from authentic notes because they were "too perfect" and lacked the engraving flaws present in authentic notes." 20 "Crime lost a genius," Murray said, "when old man Johnson died" 21 [image: genuine note and Johnson counterfeit].
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to skip over some interesting history – Prince Edward Island's "holey dollar," the paper 25-cent "shinplaster," the issuance of $ and $ bank notes, the rise and fall of "phantom banks," among other developments.