Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1857-08-21
WHOLE NO. 2653.

ores and national medals, which. for this
country is quite large. In ITSELF il will re-
pay visit The suit Of apartments appro-
priated TO this purpose is in tho second story.
and measures sixteen feet wide BY fftv-fonr
feet long. Tho ancient coins are quite nu-
merous-the immense number Of coins issued
by the Romans, particularly, having rendered
Is comparatively easy, even at the present
day, to obtain many varieties. There are al
so ancient Grecian and Jewish coins Some
OF these bear date anterior TO the Christian
era and serve as active memorials % reawak-
en- our rocollochons Of ancient history. So,
also there are numerous coins of modern
hmes-the coins Of tho various American
Colonies previous 20 the Revolution. and also
tine coins Of existing European nations. Sew
eral specimens Of the famous penny. with the
head OF Washington stamped upon them. arc
IN the collection. This style of currency was
fortunately condemned at the time. as well by
I Washington himself as by the general senti-
ment OF Congress and Of the nation. The
\ Republics Of Greece and Rome originally set
the precedent of excluding from the national
currency the heads Of their rulers. and our
own country wisely followed it. The display
OF haii-idiotic heads upon the coins of mo-
narchical countries is a ridiculous method OF
administering TO the vanity Of kings, and a
custom which may well be classod as one of
those 'more honored in the breach than in
the Observance
THE NEw CENT co1N.
The new cent coin authorized by the last
session of Congress, is in great demand
throughout the country. No operation of the
government SO universally affects all classes
as the coinage Of money. There are none so
poor and after the first year or two of infan-
cy are passed, none SO young, as not 20 be
occasionally in the receipt of some metallic
currency. The superiority of the new cent
over the old, in point of convenience, and the
fact that it is exchanged at par for old Span
ish coin, create an eager desire for IT, As the
copper coinage of the United States, to the
close Of 1856, amounted to l55 .055,2 ,28s cents.
a considerable portion Of which still remains
in circulation, it viii be some time yet before
their place can be entirely supplied with rev
cents. Three million of the new cents $780,
600 WORTH were coined before the first de-
livery on the lst of June last Since then
they have been coined at the rate of about
100000 per day We learn that uncancelled
certificates for old silver, payable in new cents,
TO the amount of about $4,000 still remain
unredeemed. At present, certificates paya-
BILE in new cents are not granted for the old
Spanish coins, and probably will not be until
larger portion of the old ones are redeemed
but such certificates are still granted for old
cents.
AMOUNT OF AMERICAN COINAGE.
The increase in the coinage of the country
has fully kept pace with, if, indeed, it has
not exceeded its extraordinary progress in
all other respects. The total value of the
coinage of the United States, for the first
twenty-four years after the establishment of
the Mint, from 1898 to 1917, was but Sl4,-
1873, 500 So, while the coinage of 1856, alone,
amounted to sos, ,567,l ,l42 30-10O. The total
amount of the coinage of the United States
to the close of 1856. is as follows