The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-03-07

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The following is n historical sketch OF
our gold coinage:
l. The double-eAgle, or twenty dollar
piece Coinage Of the dOuble-eagle was
authorized by the at of March Sd, 1869.
It's weight is 5l6 grains It's ineness h
900. This technical form of expression
means that 800 parts IN Il 900 are pure
metal, the other 100 parts are alloy. ;
The total coinage OF the twenty dollar
gold piece up TO June 30th, 1877. the
close OF the last fiscal year, was ss09,
5gs, 440. The amount is far greater than
that OF all the other coinage Of the
United States. II, in fact, is the inn
perial coin OF our country, AZ once mas
sive, weighty aud regal in appearance.
,. The eagle, OF ten dollar piece. It's
coinage WAS authorized by the act Of
April 21, 1892 The weight was first
established by law nj 270 grains. hut
was changed forty-tWo years afterwards.
by the act OF June 2sth, 1884. 10 2jS
grains, where il has remained ever since.
It's tinenesG was, in the beginning, made
9l6i, but was changed by the act OF
June 18th, 1884 ithe same act that
lowered its weight 10 500 225. Two
years and half subsequently its fineness
was increased-less than one part IN n
thousAnd-to 800. It's weight and fine
ness have remained thus fixed 10 the
present day. The total coinage Of THE
noble piece Of American money up tO
June Both, 1877, was $50, 7f7. 120-less
than one-fourteenth Of the total coinage
Of the imperial double eagle.
A. III
This elegant co4n has undergone the
Aame vicissitudes a. the eagle. It's coin
age was authorized by the same act Of
April 2d, 1892. It's weight was l35
grains, and liz fneness 9l6i. BY the
act OF June 18th, 1884, it's weight wac
reduced 10 g. grains and its tineness 10
500. 225. By the act Of January 2Sth,
lSA7, its fineness was raised 30 the uni
form standard uf 800 It's weight and
fineness have thus remained to our time.
Its total coinage mp D. the close OF the
last fiscal year was $50. 4l2, SIS.
4 The qunrter-eagle. or two dollar
and half piece. This coin belongs 20
the same family with the eagle and half
eagle. It's coinage was authorized, its
weight and hneneFs corTeSpondingly MI
tered, by the same acts. The statute of
1895 made It's weight $40 grains and it,
fneness 9lG4. Its weight was reduced
20 O. Q grains and It's fineness 30 500. 225
by the act Of 1884 The act OF 1887
raised its fineness 30 800. It's total coin
age mp to June 30th, 1877. was SIC, &c.,
! 100.
3. The dollar. THIS pretty little gold
piece was created by the act Of March
81, iS4e, the same act that authorized
the coinage Of the double eagle. IL haE
remained unchanged. It's weight 10 25,S
and it's fineness 800. The total coinage
mp 10 the close Of the last fiscal year was
sia. 344, ,43S.
6. Three dollar piece. An act oi Feb
ruary 9lS,, 1883. established this irregu.
lar coin. Its weight. IA grams and It's
fineness 900, are of the normal standard,
and have not been chAngei bF snbse-
quent acts. It's total coinage M t0 Jane
Both, 1877. was 81. 800, ,032.
IL IN scarcely necessary 10 state that all
these gold coins are legal tender TO an
unlimited amount. The federal statute
requires, however, that the weight should
not be materially nednced by attrition.
Thus IL will be seen that there are SIX
pieces of gold coinage in the United
States. The double-eagle, the three
dollar piece. the dollar piece-all OF lattr
coinage have not been changed in weight
or iinencss. One of the earliest acts of
Congress authorized the coinage Of the
eagle, the half-eagle and the quarter
eagle. They remained Of the same
weight and fineness during more than
forty years. By the act of June 2Sth,
1884. the weight and fineness were both
materially reduced.
Two years and a half subsequently, 10y
the act OF January 18th. 1897, the fine
ness was inct cased by less than one part
in a thousand. The standard Of the
weight and fiueDess has remained the
same ever since for all gold coin. The
6neness in nine parts Of pure gold and
one part of alloy, or 900 parts in l,OOo
as il is generally expressed. The stand
ard Of weight, including alloy with the
gold. is 25.S grains b. the dollar; the
donble-eagle, is twenty times that C5l6
grains); the eagle, ten times (25S grains);
the half-eagle, five times Cl2g grains);
the three-dollar piece. three times, (TL4
grains): the quarter-eagle, two and n
half times that (64 ; grains).
The question is sometimes asked, Oi
what is the alloy madef In gold coin il
was At first = compound Of silver and
copper. II was forbidden by statute
that the alloy should be more than half
silver II is now nearly all copper,
owing 10 advances in the art of assaying
and improved methods in coinage. The
total amount Of gold coinage mp "a June
20, 1877, wns S9S3, i5g, ,695.