Newton Against the Counterfeiters

At the end of the 17th century, Isaac Newton does not only work on gravitation and optics. Appointed to the Royal Mint of London, he directly participates in the fight against counterfeiters in an England struck by a major monetary crisis. Newton then conducts interrogations, infiltrations, and criminal investigations with almost obsessional rigor.

In 1696, Isaac Newton is named Warden of the Mint then Master of the Mint, functions often considered at the time as largely honorary. He however rapidly transforms the post into a veritable operational activity.

England then crosses an important monetary crisis. Silver coins hammered circulating for decades are frequently clipped on the edges to discreetly recover precious metal. Counterfeiters also profit from the lack of uniformity of strikes to produce imitations difficult to distinguish from official money.

Newton applies to these problems an extremely systematic method. He personally collects testimonies, interrogates suspects, and sometimes frequents London taverns to gather information on criminal networks. His archives show meticulous work of documentation and cross-checking of evidence.

One of his principal targets becomes William Chaloner, a particularly skillful counterfeiter having even attempted to present himself as a reformer of English money. Newton patiently accumulates testimonies against him before obtaining his condemnation for high treason. Chaloner is hanged in 1699. Newton's role at the Royal Mint also contributes to the great English monetary reform of the late 17th century, with the progressive introduction of mechanically struck coins much more difficult to falsify.