This single mould was made by E Amies & Son in 6/1954 to demonstrate the watermarking techniques available for banknotes. Size 272 x 510mm. None of the banks were real. Tovil was the industrial village near to Hayle Mill (sadly it is now all modern housing estates; there is very little employment in Tovil now). The four different designs show varying light and shade and wire options; note the work done behind the cover to help support the mark. Also the watermarking wire is sometimes bright and shiny, sometimes dull; I don't know why. This seems like a very late date to invest in such a sampler as the days of making banknotes from handmade paper were numbered.
The slight bluish cast to these images (and some others on the site), is not a true reflection of the moulds but a camera quirk. Occasionally my excellent camera (Olympus E-500 DSLR) decides to change the white balance without asking me or even telling me! I just find out later and whilst I have edited all these pictures (Photoshop Elements 8) I have not adjusted white balance as getting them all consistent and accurate would be very timeconsuming and of little value.
© Copyright Simon Barcham Green 2011. Not to be copied or reproduced without written permission
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