Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-10-13

A Visit to the Cabinet of the United
AA States Mint.

cIS N1O tu0 thirty EHcceB Oh bAAs
ver'' Paid 60 Judas-HOw they LoOIK
and she ThOughts they Iaspire-In.
teresatnK Relics.and CuriOsittes.
Correspondence of the Union and American.
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 30.-On entering
the Cabinet of the United States Mint, l
noticed posted up in a conspicuous place
the following extract from letter of q
Philadelphia correspondent of some distant
paper: "But if you wish 10 be reminded Of
something further back than your grand
mother, commend you to Philadelphia.
Although this city grows more rapidly than
Boston, and nearly as fast as New Z ork,
it retains more relics Of the past than any
other American city. Here is the Hall in
which the representatives OF the thirteen
defiant colonies signed the Declaration of
Independence in 1776; here the chair in
which John Hancock presided on that MEM
cradle occasion, the old cracked bell that
then rang out the event in resonant tones,
the plain pine seat, painted red, upon
which Washington and Lafayette sat,
in Christ Church, and !, many other
mementoes Of the birth-pangs of the nation.
Or you may enter the numismatic depart
ment Of the Mint, and beginning at the
birth Of this nation, sweep backwards two
thousand years upon astresm of represen-
tative coins, that max nearly ali the inter-
mediate dates and nations, till you come to
silver piece coined in the time Of one OF
the earlier Ptolemy's, and which perhaps
Cleopatra, the last beautiful representative
Of that wonderful dynasty, paid out to
have the asp brought her that was to in
fuse the poison into an arm whose rounded
ohor bod hrT nr1ctaunH PnmnnV
and Cmser, and Antony 1t is proposed
to look after some Of the reli IS referred to
in the first part of this extract on another
occasion. The purpose at pres
ent is to spend an hour studying the coins
Of the different nations Of the world, rum
ming back to period several centuries be-
fore the Christian era. The specimens OF
a nations currency, with various designs
stamped upon the different coins in various
metals, give to the careful student an ac-
curate record Of history, and the pursuit of
investigating something more than superb
cially the kind CT currency used is most
| delightful pastime. ...
AMERICAN COINAGE.
No nation that has ever existed presents
so beautiful or uniform coinage as our gov
ernmeUt now issues, aud no country has as
! competent die-sinkers and die-makers.
| Specimens Of all the coins issued by the
| United States are preserved here, and ar
/ ranged in chronological order, so that the
advances that have been made in the art OF
die-making may easily be contrasted. II
is wonderful what progress has been made
| in coming money even since the establish
ment of the Mint, though some of the
| earlier attempts, even before the Christian
era, are very creditable. In the collection
/ Of American coins is one Of the celebrated
! Massachusetts, pine tree sbillings. 1t is a
very rude specimen of the art, and COM
pares scarcely as well with the fine coins OF
| Today as does the ontinental paper money
I with our greenbscks. Some Of the Ameri-
can coins are very rare, and only few OF
| particular dates and denominations are
| known to be in existence. This Is partic-
ularly the case with the silver dollar OF
| 1904, of which only four were struck. One
Of these Is preserved in the collection here.
| A Boston gentleman had another, which was
sold at auction about two years ago, and
wac purchased by an enthusiastic collector
Of rare coins at something over $70O. The
collection of American coins embraces
many specimens issued by the Colonies OF
by the States prior to the establishment d
the Mint. The study Of our earlier coin
age BY the specimens presented here, l:
very Interesting. Beginning, says writel
on our earlier coinage, with what is known
as the Cob money, which was merely rough
silver and copper made into al shapes and
sizes, with rude cross stamped upon the
specimens, we have the coins used by Co
lum0us and his companions. The medium
used to facilitate exchange by the aborigine'
consisted of Ignite, shells, wampum, bone
mica, comedian, native medals fashioned
into forms eyincing a skill in art to which
we are strangers. Many Of the specimens
used present striking analogy in form anC
design to the ancient Egyptian. Thes'
specimen, are frequently found now upoI
opening the small oblong oval mounds o
the Mississippi valley, and our red skinneC
brethren paid little attention to the scrip
ture Injunction, "to put no moi ey in tn,
scrip" who furnished even the dead will
the wherewith for long journey. Tn
next link in tracing this subject is the Mas
sachusetts currency, which about the yea
1900 embraced the Territory now the Stai
of Maine. At this time there was an sctiv
commerce carried on annually with tn
fleets which came from Europe for fish an
peltry, and the natives were at all timss
ready to barter large quantities of skins TO
beads, knives, hAtchets, blankets, powder
shot and strong lcdter. The necessity G
providing q medium of currency exercise
the minds Of the traders. Roger William
gives the following account of the moGe
used by the New England Indians: "It
Of two kinds-wkite which they make o
the stem orsstock of the periwinkle, afle
all the shell is broken off; six beads wei
equivalent to an English penny. The othe
kind is a black or blue shade made Of th
shell Of a fish called hens pollIdt0ck, an
Of this description, three are equal to 3
English penny. One fathom of this strinl
ed money is worth five shilliDgs." In th
year l641 TO increase the facilities of g.
change and aid the canceling Of the publ
debts, the authorities fsrDed out the wan
pun as well as the fur trade to COMPANY
The company paid one-twentieth of
their peltry, and were also obliged to pu
chase Whatever wampum was received
the college Harvsrd-provided the amour
did not exceed f25 at any one time. III
: Holland Ducatoon and the Rix Doll'
were In good credit among the Colonist
In the year 1850 the period had arrive
when matters assumed a more practic
: progressive form, and in 1852 mint-hou
was esta blished in Boston where all persol
were authorized to bring plate, coin, al
bullion to be brought to the alloy (
sterling silver, by John Hull, master Of sa
; mint, and, his sworn officers. The
deposits were coined into shillings, six-pe
ces and three pences, bearing merely n. J
upon the observe, the reverse abbreyiatiol
indicating their value. This was acknov
: edged to be the current coin of the cor
monwealth, and to pass from hand to bar
!, within the jurisdiction only, and the min
u master received as consideration for b
; time and trouble and those of his ass
J tants one shilling out Of every TWEEN
. which had been melted, refined and coine
= These specimens were called in Englar
I, slNorth- casters" and were doubtless
! domestic manufacture. In the month
= October, 1852, it was decreed that the ty]
!, should be altered, on account of the emit
\ Lack of art and beauty of ttte CONS IN ci
: culation, and the Pine Tree money WI
t adopted, representing both the pine al
+ oak tree, with Massachusetts, and Ne
D England upon them, dates Of 1860, 1t
It and 1862 ha ling since been discovered.
+ much opposition was there to the COLON
It coinage that in England discount OF q
a fourth was made from its home YAH
j. Little or no change vas made in the CT
=. - p 1900 t;11,of A sIaroa number