Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-01-26
Al&fau0rla 6ax&tte
SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 26.
Our Gold Coins.

The following historical sketch OF our gold
coinage is condensed from an exhaustive paper
of Mr.. D. w. Wright The double eagle or
$50 piece. Coinage of the double eagle was
| authorized by the act of March 5, 1919. Its
| weight is SIG grains. lis fneness is 900. (Fhis
technical form of expression means that 900
parts in 1000 arc pure metal, the other 100
parts are alloy.) The total coinage Of the $50
| gold piece up to June 80, 1877, the close OF
| the last fiscal year, was $500, ,59S, 44O. The
amount is far greater than that of all the other
coinage of the United States. 1t. iu fact, is
the imperial coin Of our country, at once mas
sive, wcighty and regal in appearance.
The eagle or $40 piece. Its coinage was al
thorized by the act of April g 1892. The
weight was first established by law at 270
grains, but vas changed forty two years after
ward, by the act Of June 2S. 1884. to 25S grains,
where it has remained ever since. Its 6neness
was, in the beginning, made 9l6s, but was
changed, by the act Of June %, 1884. the
Same act that lowered its weight, to S99. .225.
Two years and a half subsequently its fneness
was incressed-less than one part 10 thous
snd-to 900. Its weight and fneness have
remained thus fixed to the present day. The
total coinage Of this noble piece of American
money, up to June 80, 1877, was $50, 707, ,220
less than one fourteenth Of tho total coinage
of the imperial double eagle.
The half eagle, or s. piece. This elegant
coin has undergone the same vicissltude5 as the
eagle. It's coinage was authorized by the same
act of April 2, 1892. Its weight was l35 grains
and its fneness 9l64. By the act of juno IS.
1884, its weight was reduced to l29 grains and
it's ineness to S99225. By the act Of January
Is, 1887, its fneness was slightly raised to the
uniform standard of 900. Its weight and fine.
ness have thus remained TO our time. Its total
coinage. up to the close of tho last fiscal year,
was 500, 9,4l2Sl5.
The quarter eagle, or So. SO piece. This inc
coin belongs to the same family With the eagle
and half eagle. Its coinage was authorized, and
its weight and fueness oorrespondingly altered
by the same acts. The statute of 1892 made its
weight CTS grains and its 6neness 9l6!. Its
weight was reduced to CAS- grains and its fine.
ness to 89G. .225 by the act of 1884. Tho act Of
1887 raised its 6nencss to 900. lts total coin
age up to June 80, 1877, was SIC, ,975, $50.
The dollar. This pretty little gold piece was
created by the act OF March 8, lS49, tho Same
act that authorized the coinage Of the double
eagle. It has remained unchanged. Its weight
is 25S grains and its fncness 900 The total
coinage up to the close of the last fiscal year
was $l9, 345, ,43S.
Three dollar piece. An act Of February 81.
1853, established this irregular coin. Its weight
TIA grains, and its tiuenes5, 900, are OF the
normal standard, aud have not been changed by
subsequent acts. It's total coinage, up to j unc
80, 1877, was ST, ,300,032.
It is hardly necessary to state that all these
gold coins are loyal tender to in unlimited
amount. The Federal statute requires, however.
Of ho aohf en ha ato oil al
by attrition.
Thus it will be seen there are six pieces Of
gold coinage in the United States. The double
eagle, three dollar piece, the dollar piece
all of later coinage-have not been changed in
weight or fneness. One Of the earliest acts OF
Congress authorized the coinage Of the eagle.
the half eagle and the quarter eagle. They re-
mained Of the same weight and lnoness during
more than forty years. By the act of June 28,
1884. the weight and jneneas we're both mater.
ally reduced.
Two years and half subsequently. by the &C.
Of January l8, 1897, the fneness was increased
by less than one part in thousand. Tho
standard Of weight and fneness has remained
the same ever since for all gold coin. The fine.
ness is nine parts Of pure gold and one part of
pressed. The standard of weight-incuding al.
10y with the gold-is 258 grains to the dollar;
the double eagle is twenty times that (5lG grans;)
the eagle, ten times (258 grans) the half eagle.
five times Q29 grains) tho three dollar piece,
three times G7:4 grainsi) the quarter eagle q
times (645 grains.)
The question is sometimes asked: OF Whist is
the alloy made? In gold coin, it was, al first,
compound of silver and copper. 1t was for
bidden by statute that the slloy should be moro
than half silver. 1t it now nearly all copper,
owing TO advances in the art of assaying and i'm
proved methods in coinage
The total amount of gold coinage. up to June
80 1877, Was 1888, l59,C95.