Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-02-11


The ratio of value between the first two
has probably varied less during the last
$500 years than that between any other
known substances. Copper has fuctua-
ted more. but its function has always
been subsidiary and limited to small
transactions. In the hierarchy of the
metals used as coins, gold may represent
the King. silver the lord, and copper the
slave. The latter is now practically
emancipated, bronze and nickel taking
its place. Indium, osmium and palla-
dunn have been proposed as substitutes
for gold, and aluminium and manganese
for silver, but without any practical re-
suit thus far. Platinum, which is main
ly found in the Ural mountains, has
been coined to some extent by the Rus
sian Government; but, although a beau
tiful and valuable metal, possessing ma
ny of the qualities to render it accepta-
bic as coin, its employment as money
has been found to be impracticable.
Great numbers of alloys. have been
employed in coinage, and indeed it may
be said that almost the entire system of
metallic currency throughout the world
is composed of alloys. The Tuscan Sc
quin, the purest coin known in history,
contained 999 parts of gold in 1000.
The 6-ducat piece in Naples was next in
purity. having not only an alloy of 4,
while old Byzantine coins called bezants
contained an alloy of 4 parts in l. 900.
Pure gold and silver, however, are soft
metals, and, untempered by others, are
| subject to serious loss by abrasion. They
are, therefore, rendered more useful by
the admixture of small portion of cop
per, which, in the English system, in
the case of gold, may be expressed deci-
mally by 916.66. and of silver 925 parts
in 1000. Nickel is usually alloyed
with three parts of copper, and it is note
worthy that its adoption as a subsidiary
coinage in Germany, coincident with the
demonetization Of silver, caused it to
rise rapidly in price, while the latter
was as rapidly declining. The old Ro-
man as was made of the mixed metal
called es, compound of copper and tin,
and in quality and value not unlike
bronze. Brass was also extensively used
from the time of Hiram of Tyre to that
of the Emperor Otho. The old Kings
of Northumbria coined a small money
called stycas out of a natural alloy, COM
posed Of copper. zinc. gold. silver, lead
rude northern coast had not enough
chemical skill to separate.
While the iron coins of Lycurgus al
ready referred to were the largest of
which historic mention is made, the
Portuguese rel, too small to be actually
coined, is doubtless the smallest unit of
value in the money systems of the world.
1t is only about the nineteenth part of
an English penny, and is considerably
smaller than the Chinese cash, which,
of actual coins, is perhaps of the lowest
value known. In Sweden, during the
last century, huge squares of copper,
weighing between three and four pounds,
with stamp in each corner and one in
the center, were issued as coin, and Gu
rious specimens of them may still be
seen in numismatical collections. These,
with the Maunday money, small por-
tion of which is still annually struck at
the British Mint and distributed by her
Majesty in aims, probably represent the
EXTREMIST variation of dimensions known
among modern systems of coinage, the
smallest piece of the Maunday money
being silver penny.