Indeed the public lost nothing by their fabrication, though the state treasury suffered considerably.
The whole region, in fact, from Zalathna to Verespatak abounded in that precious metal which some fool or other has called "a mere chimera," and the gold mining was farmed out to private individuals, the yearly output from the shafts being twelve hundredweights.

These private diggers are bound to deliver the gold they obtain to the minting towns at Abradbanya or Gyulafehervar and there receive coined money in exchange.
Nevertheless, during some fifty years, only about six hundredweights were delivered annually at these places; the rest disappeared, though at first nobody could suspect it.

The State pays to the diggers 441 guldens for every pound of gold dust, which quantity when coined is worth 720 guldens.

But it occurred to the mountaineers that they also might profitably engage in coining and circulate the money so coined.

So they provided themselves with all the necessary implements and machinery (there were skilled workmen among them) and issued false ducats to their very great advantage.