The Anthon Forgeries

In 1980, Salt Lake City, Utah, a city known for its affiliation with the Mormon Church, became the backdrop for a discovery that would send shockwaves throughout America. Mark Hoffman, a first-year medical student, stumbled upon an old Bible with a mysterious document tucked between its pages. Unable to safely remove it himself, Hoffman sought the assistance of an expert, Professor Jess Simmons, who served as the curator of the university archives.

The document was unlike anything anyone had seen before, covered in strange characters. It was believed to be produced by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon faith, as copies of the characters found on the golden plates from which he translated the Book of Mormon. This was a groundbreaking find, and experts deemed it a genuine Joseph Smith document.

In the eyes of the Mormon community, the Anthon Transcript was nothing short of divine. It was seen as the word of God revealed through Joseph Smith, and Mark Hoffman became an overnight sensation. The Mormon Church purchased the document from him for $20,000, catapulting his status within the community.

Hoffman's newfound fame led him to abandon medical school and pursue document hunting full-time. Just six months later, he made another astonishing discovery, unearthing three letters written by Joseph Smith himself, which he sold for a whopping $95,000. Money poured in as Hoffman offered lectures on his remarkable finds, with Mormons eager to learn more about their faith's history.

Hoffman didn't limit himself to selling documents; he used these opportunities to build relationships with wealthy collectors who were willing to pay top dollar for historical artifacts. He frequently visited dealers, showcasing his finds and engaging in trade. He presented himself as the gatekeeper to rare documents, leaving collectors eager to buy more.

Hoffman convinced everyone that his success was the result of years of meticulous research. He even hired part-time genealogists to track down descendants of prominent Mormon leaders, allowing him to approach their families and acquire valuable documents. Over the next year, he continued to make apparent discoveries, including documents linked to figures like Daniel Boone, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Jack London. His fame spread, and he was given unparalleled access to the Church's historical department.

However, beneath the surface, Mark Hoffman was not the genuine collector he portrayed himself to be. He was secretly using his celebrity status to gather information about the Church's sensitive documents, including names, dates, and handwriting styles. All of this would be instrumental in creating a series of forgeries that would deceive even the most discerning experts.

Hoffman's forgery operation began at the age of 15 when he successfully fooled the U.S. Treasury with a fake antique coin. His skills evolved over the years, and he went on to create over 600 extraordinary forgeries, including the Anthon Transcript, the Joseph Smith letters, and materials attributed to hundreds of famous Americans. What techniques did he use to fool the world's most respected experts?

The paper used for Hoffman's forgeries had to be at least 150 years old, a requirement that seemed challenging to meet. However, Hoffman cleverly sourced blank pages from the backs of old library books when nobody was looking. Finding old ink was a more significant challenge, but Hoffman uncovered an old recipe for ink-making from the 1830s. He ground oak nuts and wasp larvae, added ferrous sulfate, gum arabic, and water, creating ink that resembled the period's ink. However, he went a step further to ensure its authenticity.

Hoffman was aware that the ink used on the documents would likely undergo carbon-14 dating. To counter this, he tore up pieces of the old paper he had removed from library books and burned them. The resulting carbonized remnants were mixed into the ink, ensuring that it would appear as if it had aged naturally from the 1800s.

Making the ink look 150 years old was another challenge. Hoffman used various methods to artificially age the documents, such as treating them with oxygen, heat, and specific chemicals. He combined all these techniques to create convincing aged documents.

What made Hoffman's forgeries especially convincing was their historical accuracy. They perfectly captured the language and handwriting styles of the respective periods. However, they were also believable for another reason—Hoffman's brilliant strategy.

Hoffman often donated documents to libraries and the LDS Church at no charge. Later, he would return with controversial documents and charge hefty sums for their authentication. Scholars and experts would then compare the forged writing to other documents, not realizing that the writing donated by Hoffman was also forged. This ingenious ploy further ensured the credibility of his forgeries.

But forgery isn't just about technique; it's also about psychology. Hoffman never wanted to be the one to discover a document himself. Instead, he had others do it for him to avoid suspicion. This tactic worked brilliantly, as it allowed him to maintain his reputation as an innocent collector.

One of Hoffman's most successful techniques for avoiding detection was never to reveal to one buyer what he was selling to another. This strategy prevented his buyers from comparing notes and uncovering the deception.

After a decade of perfecting his craft, Hoffman decided to take on even bigger prey. He cultivated relationships with sophisticated book merchants on the East Coast, who viewed him as a naive collector from Utah. He allowed them to think they were outsmarting him, creating a false sense of superiority.

To execute his boldest forgery to date, the "Oath of a Freeman," Hoffman adopted a new technique. Rather than a handwritten document, this was a printed one. He posed as a history enthusiast and persuaded a commercial engraver to create a zinc printing plate. By using this plate, he produced copies of the document, filling the historical gap that scholars had long believed to exist.

Hoffman's forgery of the "Oath of a Freeman" was so convincing that it was authenticated by numerous prestigious institutions, including the FBI, the Library of Congress, the American Antiquarian Society, the McCrone Institute, the University of California, and two independent labs. Every one of them concluded that the document was genuine.

But the success of his forgeries had changed Hoffman. He began living extravagantly, accumulating debt, and embracing a reckless lifestyle. He owed substantial amounts of money, and as his financial problems grew, so did his desperation.

To make matters worse, one of his high-stakes deals involving the "Oath of a Freeman" fell through. The Library of Congress refused to pay him without further testing, leaving him in dire need of cash. Desperation led him to forge an entire collection of letters, diaries, and affidavits attributed to William McClellan, a prominent critic of Joseph Smith. He convinced Steve Christensen, a representative of the Church, to front him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

However, forging an entire collection was a daunting task, and Hoffman was running out of time. He was in over his head and couldn't produce the promised materials. As pressure mounted, he spiraled further into debt and despair.

Facing mounting financial troubles and disgruntled investors, Hoffman's desperation reached its breaking point. In a shocking turn of events, he resorted to violence. A pipe bomb, hidden in a package addressed to Stephen Christensen, exploded outside Christensen's office, killing him. Another bomb intended for Christensen's business partner accidentally killed an innocent bystander in suburban Holladay.

Hoffman didn't stop there; he built a third bomb. Some speculate it was intended for Brent Ashworth, with whom he had a regular meeting schedule. However, Ashworth didn't come to town, preventing another potential tragedy.

The explosion of the third bomb, which went off in Hoffman's own car, left him with severe burns and multiple fractures. While he survived, his account of the explosion aroused suspicion among investigators. They initiated a thorough investigation into Hoffman's document dealings, suspecting his involvement in the bombings.

As investigators closed in on Hoffman, they uncovered a trail of deception and criminal activity spanning a decade. Hoffman's masterful forgeries cast doubt on the authenticity of countless historical documents he had sold to collectors and institutions nationwide.

Ultimately, Hoffman was charged with two counts of first-degree homicide, capital offenses. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and theft by deception. In January 1988, he faced sentencing and was sentenced to serve natural life in prison.

Mark W. Hoffman was a unique criminal—a master forger whose abilities allowed him to deceive even the most discerning experts. His audacious forgeries altered the course of history, shaking the foundations of faith and leaving a legacy of doubt and deception in his wake.

In retrospect, his story serves as a chilling reminder of the lengths some individuals will go to achieve their objectives. Hoffman's downfall was his insatiable desire to fool the experts and rewrite history in his image. However, in the end, truth prevailed, and his criminal activities were exposed’

Hoffman later admitted that his motive was not just financial gain but a desire to change church history. He revealed that he had become an atheist during his teenage years and wanted to expose what he saw as the falsehoods of religious institutions.

Throughout his decade-long criminal career, Mark Hoffman's ability to manipulate and deceive was unparalleled. His forgeries challenged experts, institutions, and faith itself. While his actions caused immeasurable harm, they also led to a deeper understanding of the importance of critical examination and verification in historical research and document authentication.

After ten years, 800 documents, and two murders, the reign of the master forger Mark Hoffman finally came to an end."