The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-03-02

The Annual Assay-Description
of the Process by " hich Coins
are Made = Remarkable Ma
chincry for Making and Weigh-
Ing Coins-S1500 per Minute.
Philadelphia Enquirer
The annual assay at the mint Ia an OPP
Grafton Of the greatest nicely and i'm
portance, and the results furnished by it
are accurate to degree scarcely possible
to be expressed in words. The law re.
quires that at every change Of gold and
silver at the minis, certain number OF
pieces Of each variety shall be taken in.
Discriminatory from the entire coinage
for the annual assay. These pieces are
sealed, labeled and forwarded quarterly
to the Philadelphia Mint, where, once
year, they are assayed in order to see II
the various ooinages OF gold and silver
which they represent have conformed to
the legal flneness and weight. This has
been done every year since the establish
ment Of the Philadelphia Mint.
The scales used in weighing coins
singly and in bulk are marvels Of math.
ematical perfection, wighing with abso.
Lutte precision TO the hundredth part Of a
grain, while the assaying process involves
the latest discoveries In science and the
highest exercise OF manipulatory skill.
The balance used in the latter process Is
sensible to the ten thousandth part OF q
half gramme, and the smallest weight
used Is the thirteenth. hundredth part OF
a grain, go small that 1t can hardly be
seen with the naked eye unless on white
ground. The mint at Philadelphia was
established in 1892, the branch mints at
San Francisco and Carson City in 1873.
These latter coin gold and silver only,
while the first named, in this city, coins
these and all the base coins besides, viz:
the nickel Eve and three cent pieces and
the bronze two and one cent.
The copper used in the mint, Of which
a great amount Is necessary for alloy,
comes from the mines Of Lake Superior,
the finest being found in Minnesota. The
nickel is principally from Lancaster
county. The tirst coins made by author.
ity Of the United States were copper cents,
this was in 1898, the copper being brought
from England. The next year silver was
coined. and the year after gold. Most Of
the gold. which reaches:the Philadelphia
Mint at the present comes from the east.
ern slope Of the Rocky Mauutainp, near.
ly all that 10 mined on the Pacific coast
going to the branch mint at San Fran.
cisco.
So fara the mechanical treatment Is
concerned, the coinage process Is nearly
the same with all the metals, the bronze
cent being;iashioned, shaped andIslamped
by the same mechanical processes as The
silver dollar or the twenty. dollar gold
piece. The metal after being properly
alleged 10 melted and poured into an iron
mould, when Il Is allowed to cool. This
piece iS called an "ipgot," being foot
long, and wedge shaped to facilitate It's
subsequent passage through the rollers.
About two hundred "ingots" per hour are
run through the rollers, and when they |
come out are in the shape Of long, thin
strips about two inches wide and the re.
quisile thickness for the sort OF coin re.
CURED. A gold strip thus rolled out for
cutting looks much like piece Of brass
hoop material, and silver strip exactly
resembles iron. These strips are run
through cutting presses, which punch
out smooth, round pieces Of the required
size. There are nine Of these cutting
presses, and each one Is capable Of cutting
225 pieees per minute, The pieces thus
cut out or punched are called @plan.
chet.n II the "planchets" are Of the de.
nomination Of cent? each cutting machine
will punch 50 % per minute, but II the
metal lie gold, and the "planchetn double
eagles, each machine will make $4,000
per minute. The "planchet" Is mer ely
round, smoothlpiece otmetal. After the
strip has run through the cutting ma.
chine It is perforated with holes as close
as they can be cut, and Is sent back to be
melted again.
Before being stamped the @planehetsn
have 10 be carefully weighed. This IL
done by machine Of marvellous inse-
nuity, Of almost human intelligence, In
deed. The planehets are fed through a
series Of feeders, and the machine weighs |
each one with perfect accuracy, to the