Forgeries in Modern Greek History

[The LION will ROAR]

Villages and towns were changed (Hellenised)



The Macedonian Conflict: Ethnic Nationalism in a Transnational World by Loring M. Danforth

Evangelos Kofos, the Special Counsellor on Balkan Affairs in the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports that

The Greek state, like other Eastern European countries of the interwar
period, had pursued a policy of assimilation of ethnic groups. After
World War I, and some hesitation in the early 1920s, it had decided to
treat the remaining Slav-speakers as Slavophone Greeks.

Evangelos Kofos, Nationalism and Communism in Macedonia, Aristide D. Caratzas,
Publisher, New Rochelle, N.Y., 1993, page 255


Athens, the Parliment building with original Macedonian names

[The LION will ROAR]

Real estate during the civil War, confiscated by the state

[Pelister]

Pelister, Brother, do you want to edit this first line on your opening post?

There's still plenty more regarding Forgery, lies and brainwashing



TLWR, its good to team up again bro. Ahhhh the good old days.

Hey Bill77. You have done an oustanding job :-)Thanks brat.

I come across evidence of the New Greeks "distorting" stuff now and then, and even deliberately "ommitting" stuff, but not alot on actual forgeries. I guess we should include all of these things. I have to make a note to archive something every time I come across it, because its so much work going back to find it again.

[The LION will ROAR]

TOMB RAIDER- THE ASIA MINOR PROFESSOR

http://www.maknews.com/html/articles/stefov/digest_8.html

Way down the track in 1977 a so-called Archeology Professor hailing from Asia Minor (need we say anymore) had a clever idea about doing some digging in what is now (since 1913) the Greek occupied part of Macedonia. Soon after, and inevitably, he discovered King Philip II's tomb at Kutlesh (the Modern Greek state shamelessly changed the name to Vergina!)
Amongst the numerous coins and vases that were dug up, he basically proved (not surprisingly) the presence of some Ancient City-State culture in Ancient Macedonia (although he couldn't prove it with his own roots). He also found some very badly spelled and poorly worded inscriptions in the International (Mediterranean) Koine or Common Language present in Ancient Macedonia dating around 336 BC. The inscriptions were identical to those found in Athens clearly indicating their non-indigenous origin! To be a dialect of the Ancient City-States there needed to be some divergence in the inscriptions, just like their was in the other City-States further south and in the Peloponnesus! There was none! So, whatever Koine the Ancient Macedonians spoke was taught to them by teachers from Athens!
Anyway, BIG DEAL! This is no different from finding the English language and Coca Cola billboards today anywhere in the world from America to Zambia! The Modern State of Greece (not to be confused with the Ancient City-States) has adopted (hijacked) the ancient International Koine language of the time and has classified (falsified) it as "Greek" today!!! This would be like the African, former French Colony of "Niger" taking the French language and claiming it as theirs! By doing this, the Modern Greeks (not to be confused with the people of the Ancient City-States) may also think they can claim a stake on many other countries around the Mediterranean, even the Jews! (Remembering the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew to Koine!)
The Asia Minor Professor's intention was to victimize the Modern Macedonians, remembering they don't speak any Koine at all today! (so called "Greek" today) The inscriptions unearthed were written in a form that even the "Modern Greeks" could not comprehend! Koine had evolved so much and had acquired so many foreign elements over the years it had become bastardized and hardly resembled the original.
We know from history that the Ancient Macedonians also spoke another language besides poor and/or broken Koine! (later becoming somewhat bi-lingual!) Evidence of this also comes from the Ancient Macedonians enemies, the Ancient City-States themselves and the likes of the Athenian Demosthenes who called King Philip II of Macedon a "barbarian", meaning a "babbler" or "blabbered" of foreign speech!
Too bad the Asia Minor professor and the Greek government didn't reveal what this "other" language was by showing even older, very Ancient proto-Slavic inscriptions (from at least 7,000 BC) which Greece is no doubt hiding from the eyes of the world! (which is what part of Koine itself is overwhelmingly created from, words from around 1,600 BC!) In the artificial borders of the Balkans today, how can one on the side of The Republic of Macedonia find an abundance of very ancient proto-Slavic inscriptions in the ground (which is the root language of the Modern Macedonians) and over the border in artificial Modern Greece nothing has been found that we know of!? Hmmm!? I smell a rat! You don't have to be Einstein to figure out what Greece is really hiding before the eyes of the world!
As the grave-digging progressed "cloth" was found in the Royal Chambers which was "Red" in colour! Red is different from "blue & White" stripes isn't it? Shortly afterwards, the Tomb Raiders unearthed a Magnificent Golden Sixteen-Ray pointed Sun Symbol! A symbol of a distinct civilization! It showed that the Macedonians revered (worshiped) the Sun (Iliy)! Throughout their history the Ancient City-States had never used this symbol! It had never appeared on an Ancient City-State coin or other relic! Likewise, the Modern Greeks had never seen or knew anything about this symbol before! (that is before 1978). Across the artificial border in The Republic of Macedonia the Macedonian Sun Symbol, on the other hand, can be found engraved on century old churches and monasteries! It is also common in the handmade centuries old fabric designs etc!
In 2006 we have the pathetic situation where the Turkish Christians (settlers from Asia Minor, the likes of our friend the Asia Minor Professor, who were dumped into the Greek occupied part of Macedonia from the 1920's) and other "imposters" are flying proudly their own version of the "star of Kutlesh" (so called Vergina) symbol on a "Blue" cloth background instead of the Macedonian "Red"!
Further digging resulted in many other discrepancies showing up in the presence of international observers and archeologists! Their shameless acts of grave-digging backfired into a "Real Greek Tragedy"! It’s sad to see people going to such lengths to find a hero for themselves, where clearly he belonged to a foreign, enemy people and country.
With Greece wanting the Elgin Marbles back from the British, how about Greece return the treasures taken from King Phillip II's tomb (and others) back to the Skopje museum in The Republic of Macedonia and to the Macedonian people? Or is it too much for you "imposters" to abandon?!
Some advice: change your false history before you are made to look even more stupid than you do now! Don't you ever tell us who and what we are, we know who and what we are, and it’s obvious you don't! So, we'll also tell you who and what you are!!!

by ZAC I (Australia)

[Bill77]

Brat TLWR, i bow to you mate. You are incredible


I ask why do Greeks forge, lie, etc? mabe we can ask what Lord Byron has to say to this acording to David Howarth,

"When a Greek's "Philotimo" is in question, he can never accept the facts as they are. As Lord Byron has said, "The Greeks lack the capacity to comprehend reality. Every Greek has an exaggerated opinion about Greeks."

http://giorgi10.tripod.com/id58.htm#david_howarth________greek_barbarity

[johnMKD]

this is more on how they brain wash there kids. Mabe its something our friend JohnMKD might find interesting.

Here is an article by Alexander Zaharopoulos, he describes how the Greek schooling system systematically lies to its pupils.

WOW Bill, this article trully describes the situation as it is I guess and also my situation (the link however didn't seem to work). Very interesting this thread indeed. I really enjoyed reading all of it.

So, also the whole map drawing of ethnicities has also been an utter forgery? I'm really surprised...

About the digging stuff that it is mentioned also in this thread, I read somewhere in a Bulgarian blog that there was a stone found in Voden some years ago. According to this blog, the stone was engraved in Bulgarian saying something about a Bulgarian Tsar, thus proving (according to them) that the town should be Bulgarian (?). Have you guys ever heard about this? (I can re-search and put on the link if you are interested).

[Soldier of Macedon]

About the digging stuff that it is mentioned also in this thread, I read somewhere in a Bulgarian blog that there was a stone found in Voden some years ago. According to this blog, the stone was engraved in Bulgarian saying something about a Bulgarian Tsar, thus proving (according to them) that the town should be Bulgarian (?). Have you guys ever heard about this? (I can re-search and put on the link if you are interested).

John, it's been presented as a fake by others. And the 'Bulgarian' name certainly had nothing to do with ethnicity. Check the history section, you'll find plenty on the topic.

[Bill77]

WOW Bill, this article trully describes the situation as it is I guess and also my situation (the link however didn't seem to work). Very interesting this thread indeed. I really enjoyed reading all of it.

So, also the whole map drawing of ethnicities has also been an utter forgery? I'm really surprised...

About the digging stuff that it is mentioned also in this thread, I read somewhere in a Bulgarian blog that there was a stone found in Voden some years ago. According to this blog, the stone was engraved in Bulgarian saying something about a Bulgarian Tsar, thus proving (according to them) that the town should be Bulgarian (?). Have you guys ever heard about this? (I can re-search and put on the link if you are interested).

John, i find it odd that it has been removed. But google "ALEXANDER ZAHAROPOULOS
("Sydney Morning Herald", Australia, Wednesday, March 23,
1994)" and i am sure you will find more about it.

[johnMKD]

John, i find it odd that it has been removed. But google "ALEXANDER ZAHAROPOULOS
("Sydney Morning Herald", Australia, Wednesday, March 23,
1994)" and i am sure you will find more about it.

Cheers Bill I'll definitely do that.

[The LION will ROAR]

BULGARIAN FALSIFICATION OF MACEDONIAN HISTORY

http://www.gate.net/~mango/Bulgarian_falsification.html

1. This is the fabricated stone inscription by "Tsar Samuil" found in Voden (Edessa), Greece.


2. This is the stone inscription by Ivan Vladislav found in Bitola, Macedonia.


THE TEXT
1. This is the text translated in Bulgarian from the fake stone in Voden:

1. V samodurjavnia grad Voden Az Samuil, veren v Hrista
2. Car na Bulgarite i Romeite, ot boga izpraten samodurjec
3. na vsichki strani ot Rashka do Makedonia, Tesalia
4. i Gurcia , vnuk na staria Shishman, koito beshe Han na
5. jitelite na Turnovo, postroih tozi molitven dom, za da
sushtestvuva v vechnostta. Osnovite biaha polojeni v epohata
na Ieremia, koito beshe pruv hristianin ot Melnik.
6. Postroen be (tozi hram) za grehovete i spasenieto na bulgarite
7. ot prokletia Satana, koito proizhojda ot Konstantinopol.
8. Tozi hram be zavurshen prez 14-tata godina ot caruvaneto mi
s pomoshtta na sveshtennika Gavril, koito e duhoven pastirna jitelite na Muglen.
9. Napisano prez godina 6497 ot suzdavaneto na sveta (989 g.)5-ti Indiktion.

Rough translation into English:

In the city of Voden, I Samuil, faithul to Christ, Emperor of the Bulgars and
Romans, Godsent emperor of all lands from Raska to Macedonia, Thessaly and
Greece, nephew of the old Shishman who was Khan of the inhabitants of Trnovo,
built this prayer home, to exist forever. The foundation were laid in the epoch of
Jeremiah, who was the first Christian in Melnik. This tample was built for the
sins and saving of the Bulgars from damned Satan, who comes from Constantinople.
This tample was finished during the 14th year of my rule with the help of monk
Gavril, who is the spiritial shepherd of the inhabitants of Meglen. Written during
year 6497 from the foundation of the world (989 A.D), 5th Indiction.

2. This is the text translated in Bulgarian from the stone in Bitola:

"Prez godina 6523 (1015-1016) ot sutvorenieto na sveta obnovi se tazi krepost, zidana
i pravena ot Ioan, samodurjec bulgarski, s pomoshtta i s molitvite na presvetata vladichica
nasha Bogorodica i chrez zastupnichestvoto na dvanadesette i na vurhovnite apostoli.
Tazi krepost be napravena za ubejishte i za spasenie i za jivota na bulgarite. Zapochnata
beshe krepostta Bitolia prez mesec oktomvri v 20-i den, a se zavurshi v mesec... kraia.
Tozi samodurjec beshe bulgarin po rod, vnuk na Nikola i na Ripsimia blagovernite,
sin na Aaron, koito e brat na Samuil, caria samodurjaven, i koiito dvamata razbiha v
Shtipon (Ihtiman) gruckata voiska na car Vasilii, kudeto be vzeto zlato... , a tozi v..
. car razbit bide ot car Vasilii v godina 6522 (1014) ot sutvorenieto na sveta v Kliuch
i pochina v kraia na liatoto."

Rough translation into English:

During the year 6523 (1015-1016) from the beggining of the world this fortress
is being renewed, built and made by Ioan, Bulgarian autocrator, with the help
and prayers of our Virgin Mary and through the representation of the twelve and
supreme apostles. This fortress was made as haven and deliverance of the lives
of the Bulgarians. The fortress Bitolia was started during the month of October 20th
and was completed in the month of... ending. This autocrator was Bulgarian by birth,
nephew of Nikola and Ripsimia, son of Aaron, who is brother to Samuil, the tsar
autocrator, with whom they smashed in Shtipon (Ihtiman) the Greek army of tsar
Vasili, where they took gold..., and this tsar was destroyed by tsar Vasili in the year of
6522 (1014) from the beginning of the world in Kliuch and died at the end of the summer

3. The Story
During September 1997 a Greek national with "Bulgarian identity" from Voden named Stoidis
appeared in Sofia at the National Historical Museum and declared to the Director Bozidar
Dimitrov that he has in his possession a stone inscription found in Voden (Edessa) during
the reconstruction of a local church. The Director declared the inscription a fake made
by Bulgarian nationalists in the 19th Century. Apparently the whole story was published
in the Bulgarian daily Kontinent on "02.10.1997."


The "Bitola inscription" was discovered during the demolition of a mosque in Bitola during the
1950's and so far nobody doubted its veracity. Considering the Voden case the Bitola stone
has to be viewed in new light. Chances that it was written by the same authors are indeed very
high. We have also to ask about other products from the same authors as well as regard
the whole Bulgarian historiography concerning Macedonia with great suspicion.

[The LION will ROAR]

Tsar Samoil - Czar Samuel - Bulgarian Thieves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuil%27s_Inscription

Quote:

The tombstone of Samuil's parents is currently stored at the Archaeological Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was transported there from the village German, near lake Prespa in Macedonia in 1916. The dimensions of the tombstone are within the ranges: 130-125/67-52/10-7 cm.
BULGARIAN THIEVES. I wonder what else they stole while they occupied Macedonia during WWI.


Here is the inscription of the tombstone in question:


You will notice that the Tsar called himself SAMOIL in the inscription.

[TrueMacedonian]

I believe plate smashing is not really an old "Greek custom". I think it's a hollywood custom if anything.

[Soldier of Macedon]

Probably conjured during the glory days of Quinn's "zobra dance", that nobody in Greece seems to have done prior to the American movie.

[TrueMacedonian]

The Macedonian Conflict by Loring Danforth

[TrueMacedonian]

http://www.snible.org/coins/fakes/dodson.html

Counterfeits I have known

Originally published in the April and May 1967 issues of COINage.

By Rear Admiral O.H. Dodson, U.S.N., Ret.

The old ragamuffin entered my office with the charm of a cavalier, the sprightly stride of a hoary giant. Grey hair, erect and closely cropped, ruddy face half concealed by untidy, grey stubble, shaggy clothes and tattered shoes, all echoed Athenian "skid row."

His lawyer was of a different breed. Young, handsome, poised, immaculate in oxford grey, he bowed courteously to my Greek interpreter, then gently inquired, "What business do you have with my client?"

This was my first meeting with John Garyphallakis, master forger of ancient Greek coins. For a month the police of Athens had endeavored to assist in located poor old John, of no fixed address. Now he suddenly appeared, surprisingly protected by a well-heeled attorney.

"It is widely reported, Mr. Garyphallakis, that you are the most skillful artist in reproducing rare and beautiful old Greek coins. Since genuine coins are so highly priced, it was my wish to meet you. Perhaps I could afford to purchase some of your exquisite copies."

Old John beamed.

His lawyer arose. "If this is all you wish, then good day, Captain." He departed graciously.

For a few minutes old John, the interpreter, and I exchanged pleasantries. John's parents were Cretan, he volunteered. Born in Crete in 1887, he was known by his cronies as "Kritikos," the man from Crete. Although given the name Nicholas, he preferred to be called John.

Sensing a sympathetic audience, old John poured fourth in the vernacular of the Pireaus water front. "I am an old man and a poor man. Hermes, son of Zeus never smiled on me. In my soul I love beautiful things. Never could my purse afford genuine coins, so I make my own. By Olympian Zeus and thrice-great Hermes I swear, never have I tried to harm or cheat. My coins are made solely for my own enjoyment."

He appeared sincere, but perhaps he had forgotten his Athenian police record of two arrests, one for robbery.

"Would it be possible," I inquired cautiously, "to acquire a few of your coins, and perhaps see how they are made?"

John pondered a moment, his keen eyes searching my mind. "My home is in the street," he replied, "my clothes are ragged. In Athens the winter is bleak. Give me each winter month two bottles of ouzo to keep the raw winds from cutting to my bones, then I'll take you to the shop in Pireaus where the coins are made." "But," he added, "we must go at midnight. By day I would be seen introducing a stranger, and I would lose my job."

Since neither local police nor American security personnel would guarantee my safety on a midnight visit to a forger's den, this meeting with John in the year 1956 was my closest approach to penetrating the counterfeiting gang which even today supplies fakes to some of the coin stores and antique shops of Athens.

Old John enlivened my U.S. Naval Mission office with return visits, proudly displaying for my admiration lovely ancient coins, freshly struck. Some of these coins, here illustrated, were bartered for bottle of ouzo, a Greek brandy as potent as a mixture of wood alcohol and high octane gasoline. John always pleaded with real charm the he adored his beautiful coins and never intended to fool anyone. He was the most enchanting of crooks.

One day, old John appeared with a Greek legal document, properly certified, to prove that his mischief was legal. On translation into English, this paper was a shocker!

Before describing this document, let us turn back to the year 1905 when the August issue of The Numismatist, the journal of the American Numismatic Association, carried the following warning from the German coin expert, Adolph Hess Nachfolger who resided in Frankfurt:

Beware of Christodulo!
A Greek forger of this name has visited the principal towns of the continent, where he tried with more or less success to sell lots of false Greek coins with common genuine ones, especially of Northern and Central Greece. The forgeries are, for the greatest part, exceedingly well made, struck, not cast, the weights are rather exact. Principal types of the false coins are: Tetradrachms of Aenus with head of Hermes, didrachms and tetradrachms of Larissa, tetradrachms of Locri Opuntii, Amphipolis, Perseus of Macedon (one with ZOILOY beyond the head), ERYTHRAE with head of Heracles, Rv. Club and Quiver, didrachms of Argos with head of Hera. Rv. Diomedes securing the Palladium, Octodrachm of the Orrescii (Head, Historia Numorum p. 174), tetradrachm of Acanthus. Archaic octodrachm of Athens, etc.

According to the eminent Greek numismatic scholar, the late J. N. Svoronos, professor at the University of Athens and Director of the National Numismatic Museum, this skillful counterfeiter, Constantine Christodoulos, between the year 1900 and 1914, struck some 557 varieties of forgeries of ancient Greek coins and objects d'art. These coins were attractive and sometimes difficult to detect. Unlike the German counterfeiter Carl Becker who ignored the correct weight of Greek coins, the pieces of Christodoulos usually were within the weight tolerance of genuine pieces.

Following the death of Christodoulos the government seized his dies and his supply of counterfeits. This impounded material was placed in the safekeeping of the National Numismatic Museum.

At a later date, a nephew of Christodoulos and old John Garyphallakis, who was a friend and worker under Christodoulos, went to court to recover the impounded dies. This legal action is reported to have been based on the claim that Christodoulos was never convicted of violating Greek law. His family and friends stated he always sold his coins as reproductions.

Unfortunately, the court proceedings in the case are lost. Mr. Theodore Rakintzis, Director A, Offices in Charge of the General Security, Athens Police Department in 1956, reported that all police records and some court records prior to 1944 were destroyed when a mob burned the police building where the records were kept. This occurred during the disturbances which erupted in Athens in December, 1944.

With the records lost, we cannot be certain that the legal paper brought to my office by old John in 1956, and still in my possession, is a genuine document. But Greek legal authorities who examined the document pronounced it genuine. Certainly all known facts about the counterfeiting gang tend to support old John's claim that the court order is authentic.

A translation of the document reveals that Garyphallakis won his case in court. The opening paragraph reads in part:

On this day of January 5th of the year 1939, in Athens, I, the undersigned Constantine Constantopoulos, Director of the National Numismatic Museum, in executing orders of the Department of National Education and Cults (No. 112.097/6520 of the 28th of December 1938) and the Prosecutor's of Court of Misdemeanors, delivered to Nicholas Garyphallakis the items confiscated from him and turned over to us, according to the .. release?? dated July 12, 1937 of the policeman C. Herghispoulos (No. K.226) and the document No. 747 of the 8th Security Branch.
Among the items surrendered to Garyphallakis were: thirteen ancient coins; one hundred one (101) dies of bronze and iron for counterfeiting ancient Greek coins; two okas and 345 drachms (8 pounds, 10 ounces) of counterfeited ancient coins.

The document continues:

Upon delivery of the above articles, the receiver Nicholas Garyphallakis was advised to conform with the provisions of the law concerning the possession and transfer of the ancient Greek coins. As for the counterfeiting dies to keep them unused. We also offered to seal them, to prevent them from possible future use, in violation of the law B.X.M.S.T. articles 29-31.
Nicholas Garyphallakis stated and promised he would conform to the above specifications and agreed to have us take casts of each one of the above dies to insure detection against future use in violation of the law.

The document carried space for the signature of the Director of the Numismatic Museum, C. Constantopoulos, and the deliverer; of Garyphallakis as the receiver, and the name and address of the lawyer, George Tsilithras.
This document is significant to numismatists for it illuminates an event which has never been widely publicized. As a result of the Greek court decision, today, a half century after his death, the ghost of Christodoulos haunts the coin shops of Athens. The dies are still at work, producing rare coins to victimize the visitor who lacks numismatic experience and knowledge.

This tenacious counterfeit gang has shown a remarkable ability to endure beyond the loss of their skilled engraver. In fact some of the coins of Garyphallakis are considered more dangerous than those of the old master, Christodoulos.

In recent years one major outlet for the coins struck from the dies of Christodoulos has been an antique shop in downtown Athens. The shop is a small one-room store where walls are crowded with faded ikons, dingy shelves packed with objects in brass, bronze, silver, glass and clay from every part of the Near East. Candle sticks from Salonika, samovars from Sevastopol, earrings from Ioannina near the Albanian border, all fight for dusty shelf space in a confused mixture of art and junk.

A visitor to the shop is invited to use an old wicker chair at a soiled table while trays of coins are produced from a battered cabinet. The courteous elderly dealer closely watches my picking up and handling the coins. Then he readily admits that many of his pieces are imitations. (Under the Greek penal code a professional counterfeiter may be imprisoned for up to ten years, but, as in many other nations including the United States, the reproduction of antiquities is legal provided they are sold as reproductions.)

Legally protected by his admission, the dealer produces a tray of Athenian tetradrachms. Most, he says, are genuine. A few examined under class appear to be made by casting.

"Would you like to see nicer coins?" A small tin box taken from a desk drawer holds four beautiful silver coins. A tetradrachm of King Perseus of Macedonia, the head of Apollo on a rare coin of the city of Amphipolis, a stater from Lokris with the head of Persephone, and an archaic globular stater of Siphnos with the flying eagle are examined. These gems, the dealer claims, are the work of Christodoulos. When interest is shown in these pieces, the dealer declines to sell. "They cannot be replaced," he pleads, "I need them to compare with genuine coins." After gentle urging he agrees, with great show of reluctance, to part with the four coins for 1,000 drachmae or U.S. $33. My offer of 600 drachmae is met with a polite shrug. The four imitations of rare coins were finally acquired for 850 drachmae, or about U.S. $7 per "coin."

This shop carried no electric lights. Daylight filtered through a packed display window. In the dim lighting the coins were attractive. However, when later compared with genuine pieces in the collection of the Greek National Archaeological Museum and when weighed and examined by the staff of the American Numismatic Society in New York City, many tell-tale inaccuracies were evident. In spite of both the technical skill and the pride of both Christodoulos and Garyphallakis in their finished product, these tricksters never developed a genius for detail. In engraving dies, both men frequently appear to have been in a hurry.

When plans to publish and describe these forgeries was discussed with an experience and reliable Athenian coin dealer, he pleaded, "Oh please don't do that. This clever counterfeiting gang after studying your list of discrepancies will produce even more accurate and dangerous imitations." "These fellows," he continued, come shamelessly to my show to ask, 'How do you like my coins — what is wrong with them, how may they be improved?' You will just be creating more trouble for all of us if you publish."

It is then with some misgivings that the imperfections of these counterfeits are described, although the existence of these forgeries was reported ten years ago to the American Numismatic Association, the British Museum, and the American Numismatic Society.

Both of these forgers struck coins from silver obtained by melting genuine but commonly found ancient coins, such as the Athenian tetradrachms of the Third Century B.C., the issues of Alexander, and occasionally coins of Aegina. Some genuine ancient coins were cleaned to a clear, flat surface, then the forged dies of rare coins were used to produce the counterfeit. In recent years the gang is reported to have used a press to produce some of their coins.

Before turning to other counterfeiters, to collectors visiting Greece we repeat the warning — beware of Christodoulos; beware of his ghost.

A real villain of a forger, who so far has escaped the notoriety his acts deserve, was Manual Boufetis. This little-known sharper was active in Salonika from 1932 until his death about 1940. He specialized in the counterfeiting of the early and rare coins of the cities and tribes of Macedonia, and of the scarce coins of the first kings of Macedonia. Ch. J. Makaronas, Ephor of Antiquities, Archaeological Museum, Salonika in 1955, described Boufetis as "A very skillful imitator of ancient Greek coins and other antiquities." Mr. J. J. Badovgolov, a noted Greek collector and a member of the staff of the American Farm School at Salonika, reported in 1956 that among collectors in his city "all of them accepted Boufetis as an ace in counterfeiting. He was so skillful in producing replicas of original coins that sometimes even he was afraid of being cheated by his reproductions."

According to a goldsmith of Salonika who knew Boufetis, this scoundrel on trips to buy old coins from Macedonian farmers, would carry in his pockets a few of his own handicraft which he buried at a certain spot. After several months he would return to the burial area, exhorting some innocent farmers to go with him for coin hunting. Digging here and there at random they came, of course, to the treasury spot. The happy and naive farmers were told to take the pieces to coin collectors without mentioning the name of Boufetis. The poor farmers, with hand on the Bible, swore that they had found the coins digging in their own field. Collectors and even museums accepted some of these coins.

Unfortunately, further research is necessary before photographs of the forgeries of Boufetis are available. The Archaeological museum in Salonika claims to have neither coins nor dies of this man. Macedonian counterfeits studied by the writer could not be positively attributed to Boufetis.

A quarter century after Boufetis' death, his reputation lingers on. Even today knowledgeable collectors in Salonika are scared to purchase rare coins of ancient Macedonia. They still suffer from a disease they call "Boufetism."

Ancient coins are not the only pieces counterfeited in Greece. Although in very recent years the nation has made impressive economic progress, it remains by a wide margin the poorest nation in Free Europe. Most of these very poor, but warm hearted and wonderful people, well remember without their own life time at least one massive enemy invasion pouring down from the North. With invasions and resulting chaos the Greeks have seen their paper currency plunge below the value of discarded newspapers. Most can remember when ten billion paper drachmae would not but a loaf of bread. The Greek, therefore, has little faith in his paper money and is aware that it has limited value outside of Greece.

Furthermore having seen invasions crash down from the North, and realizing that the Russians may come next, every Greek craves small coins of great value, readily available, which are eagerly accepted abroad, and which he can quickly pick up and flee with if necessary. Or a coin which, if he is caught in Greece, will buy him into or out of any situation.

The only coin which meets all these exacting demands is the British gold sovereign.

No wonder a Greek daughter's dowry is counted in sovereigns. No wonder a young Greek male, when courting a girl, will confidentially ask her friends, "How many sovereigns does she have?" When negotiating a lease on our rented residence, no wonder the Greek owner demanded (but did not receive) six-months rent in advance payable in gold sovereigns.

Because the high demand and the esteem in which this coin is held, it is a popular belief that hoards of gold sovereigns lie buried in thousands of Greek backyards.

This was the situation which inspired enterprising Pantelis Sakidis, Emanuel Thalassinos, and Ioannis Kotoros to make their own gold sovereigns.

Operating in a private residence, an old house sheltered from the street by a high stone wall, these forgers used a well-equipped laboratory and machine shop to produce their gold pieces.

Several steps were involved in producing the counterfeits. A genuine English gold sovereign was placed in a metal mold and covered with moist plaster of Paris. After drying, the casts of both obverse and reverse of the coin were taken and the casts placed in a round metallic mold.

Through the upper cast a small hole was carefully bored. In this hole a small funnel was inserted. The casts were covered and the funnel surrounded by plater of Paris. When the plater dried it held together the casts with the small funnel in place. The gold, melted in a foundry, was poured into the casts through the funnel. After pouring the gold metal, the funnel was withdrawn, and the funnel hole sealed using a small iron tool. The cast was then placed in water for cooling. After cooling the forgers broke the plaster of Paris cover and the casts in order to remove the new sovereign.

The new coin badly needed face-lifting. Jagged bits of metal which protruded from the rim were removed, and the edge was crimped in a special lathe to improve the appearance of the reeding. The coin was then inspected for minor surface defects. An attempt was made to remove these defects by polishing. The coin was then ready to be placed in circulation.

As shown in the photograph, a comparison, with the reeded edge of a genuine sovereign quickly reveals this phony piece.

According to the records of the Athens Police Department, this gang, which was broken up about 1954, in spite of the crude reeding on their fakes, was successful in passing coins and avoiding detection for eight years. When the trio was arrested, a businessman-like bookkeeping record revealed a production of 11,600 gold counterfeit English sovereigns.

These forged coins are a gold teardrop in a large gold barrel. Although the London mint struck its last official sovereigns in 1917, it is estimated that in Europe and the Middle East three hundred million of these coins remain in circulation or in hiding. Among these gold pieces are most of our 11,600 counterfeit coins which could fool an eager or careless buyer.

In closing out this forgery case, the last notation in the records of the Athens Police Department reads, in translation, "The work which was being done, examined from a technical point of view, was excellent."

(A second installment on counterfeit United States coins and other forgeries encountered by the author on a 1966 'round the world trip will appear in a later issue.)