The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-11-30
Our Q)liu.
The Variety of Coinage.

thus far to have been Gold-worshippers,
there are very few, who hayenot attempted
the collections Of coins, that know the va
riety of form and appearance which these
little objects of mems idolatry have taken.
In shape, coins have generally been round
aid hin, both for convenience of making
and handling The exceptions to this
were more frequent in ancient than mod
ern times yet there are now one or two
square coins struck, both in Europe and
Asia. There are parallelograms in Japan,
and cight-sided pieces in Assam We
have, also, few octagonal gold pieces of
American coinage. In striking the circu-
lar coin it is necessary that it should be
held in a ring or collar, in order to pre-
serve its form. For want of some such
precaution as this as also, perhaps, be-
cause they were not accurately cut, the
mere ancient coins are rarely true circles,
though this was evidently the form intend
cd.
OF course no attempt could be made
within our limits to speak of the different
devices ON the coins of other nations.
Even in our own, first and last, there has
been much greater variety than most
persons would suppose, II is not an nm
common impression that our laws prohibit
the coming Of money by private mdiyidu-
ais yet they do not. provided the coin is
not made lin resemblance or similitude"
Of the gold or silver coins issued from the
Mint The constitution prohibits the
States from coming money aud vests the
power in Congress but under this pro-
vision no law has ever forbidden the citi-
zens TO do it, except imitation Of the ma
tional coins. So far us the coppsr coin is
concerned, however, there is what is equiv
alent TO this prohibition in the law, which
iorbids the Offering or even the rcceiuag
of any other coin than the cent and half
cent, In some parts Of the country private
gold coins have been struck and circulated.
These instances have occurred especially
in the gold regions of North Carolina and
Georgia Some fifteen or more private
mints, also, are said to have sent forth
their coinagcs in California,
Our National Mint has four branches
one at Charlotte, in North Carolina one at
Dahlonega, Georgia one at New Orleans,
and one in San Francisco The coins at
these several branches exactly resemble
those of the principal Mint at Philadel-
phia, except that they have upon them the
letters &C., 3D. "O.' and IS, respcc-
lively, to distinguish them while the coins
of the Philadelphia Mint have no initial
letter
Before the formation of the Federal
Constitution, each Colony claimed the
right to coin money, and many of them
had their issues. The earliest Colonial
coin is said to have been made for the Va.
Company, in 1912. 1t was of brass; and
on the diverse, or pricipal side, the ac-
counts of that day tell US, was "a hogge,"
in memory Of the abundance of "hogges"
found by the colonists ON their landing. |
On the reverse side was ship under full |
sail, firing gun. Probably not a large
number Of these brass coins were made. |
At any rate, neither they nor the currency
from other sources sufiiced for
the wants of the colonists, and they were |
to resort to some other medium |
of exchange; and they chose--Tobacco
More than thirty years later (l645), |
the Assembly of Virginia prefeed the law |
which provided for a new copper coinage |
with the declaration that they had ma,
turely weighed and considered how ad-
yantageous a quoine current would be sto
their Colony, and the great wants aud |
aise,ies ,ehieh do daly happen INTO Il By |
NE sole depeadeacy upon toJocco." The
law passed, but was never carried into ef- |
feet and the colopists were compelled to
use tobacco Us money,and to submit to the
-'miscries' reulting from it.
The first coins actually struck in the
country were made in Massachusetts. in
accordance with law passed in 1862, es-
mint howsen in Boston, The
law provided that the coinage should be
'twelyepence, sixpence, and threepence !
peeces, which shall be for fonne flatt. and
stamped on the one side n. w., and on the
other side with Kid, VId., and hid. |
according to the value Of each peece.
These coins were soon in circulation, but
before the expiration Of the year new die
was ordered, because, on account of the
extreme simplicity of the design, these
were 50 easily tempered with by washing |
aud clipping. il was ordered that
IIenceforth both shillings and smaller
pecces shall have double ring on either
side, with this inscription Massachusetts |
aud a tree in the centre on one side. and |
New England and the date of the year on
the other side These pieces are now |
known as the 'pine-sreer coinage. All
have the date either Of 1862 Or 1862
They probably had but the two sets of
dies, though the mint was in existence for