Hundreds of coins were re-finished with copper and nickle leaf and scattered
on streets, in vending machines, church donation baskets, and the pockets
of beggars. The coins' subtle new skin was virtually undetectable, and turned
the original coins, each with its individual tarnish, verdigris, soot and
sheen, into indistinguishable, unblemished facsimiles.
Likewise, hundreds of pennies were re-surfaced with nickle leaf, and
dimes, quarters and nickles re-surfaced with copper leaf. These coins also
made it out into the world of circulation, strange hybrids that blind vending
machines and coin counters had no choice but to accept.
