Jim the Penman

During the mid-1800s, one third of all paper money in America was thought to be fake. It was the golden age of counterfeiting, and one exceptionally talented con artist stood out from all the rest. His fakes were nearly perfect…but for a trademark tell. Known to law enforcement only as “Jim the Penman,” this celebrity criminal led many Americans to wonder—can great art truly be criminal?

Transcript

Guest:

Ellen Feingold, curator of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Smithsonian Links:

Explore the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History's National Numismatic Collection, where some of Jim the Penman's finest counterfeits are tucked away in a vault as well as its inaugural exhibition The Value of Money.