Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-10-31
American Coin.

teur coin collector, Ito the list OF articles
collected IN cabinets ] collect only Amer
ican silver coins, and / know that there is
a whole world of absolutely unsuspected
details about this branch Of collecting.
There, for instance, Is the mystery about
the coinage of 1904. A small number Of
dollars was struck, and of these coins not
one has ever been found. There are two
specimens ID existence of the 1904 dollar,
but there is every reason TO believe that
these were restrikes made in 1928 by some
one ID the mint at Philadelphia IN sur
reptItiOus and unlawful way for some COL
lector who had influence. What can have
become OF those dollars that have d;sap.
peared so completelyl From time to time
at auction sales one of the restrikes ap-
pears, and at each sale fetches a greater
SUM. AS high as 81, 600 has been paid
for one of them. But what shall be said
of the half dollars of 1S042 Of these no
less than 156, 519 specimens were coined,
yet none has ever been discovered. A
certain number OF half dollars bearing
the date 1905 will. If examined closely,
discover that the five has been struck over
four. This only shows that certain
number of the 1904 half dollars was never
issued from the mint and was converted
INTO 1905 pieces, but 1t does not explain
the total vanishing of those that were
issued. There can be no doubt that some
thing happened of a mysterious character
which caused the collars and half dollars
to disappear, for the quarters of that ear
ale not particularly scarce; fine specimen
costs only $40, and far specimen can be
had for 81. Yet there were only 6, 73S
pieces of that denomination struck IN that
Annus MIrablis for US collectors, and OF
dollars there were l9, $40. There were
only 32l dolisrs struck the next year. and
these were In all probability for the cabi
Deis of collectors, for no dollar was ISSUED
IN 1906. Then the coinage of silver dol
lars ceased, and did not begin again until
1885, il would De easy to frame the hy-
pothesis that the larger AmerIcsn silver
coins were overweight and that mercb ants
bought them up and sold them for melt
ing. But although the facts in relation to
the dollars bear out this theory, yet the
annals of the mint about the half dollars
are opposed to it, for in 1906 there was
very large issue of this piece, and so on
every year until 1915, when there was
comparatively a small lssIle. In 1916
there was no coinage al all of half dollars.
Coins of TINS denomination for 1915 are
rather scarce, so that fine specimen is
worth from ten to twenty dollars according
to Its appearance.
Cons are graded as proof, uncirculated,
fine, good and fair. The Thoroughbred
collector has nothing TO do with dealers CT
with auction sales, but hunts for his game
with an eve ever watchiul for chance.
When he passes the cribs where the ferry
men take the toll, his eye glances rapidly
over the heap of COINS spread before the
official Cerberus- Should he see dime,
of suspicious appearance, he says, In a
hurried way, Excuse me, Pm coin COL
lector," and with this brief apology he
picks up the coin, ana after brief lnspec-
ton he replaces 1t by one of the same
denomination and departs with his prize
perfectly needless OF the cutting way ID
which the toll gather insists that he will
not have his money hapdled by strangers.
After q few skIrmshes of this kind the
ferrymen come to look upon him as an
amiable Iunatlc, and whenever they re-
ceive an odd looking piece make point of
giving it 10 him in change.
The great OBJECT of collector is to
complete series, that is to say, to have
one of every variety of any given denOmI-
nation that has been coined The most
desirable in American silver coins are half
dollars and dimes, because there are fewer
breaks in these than in any other Ameri-
can issues. The earliest pieces, of course,
are not 10 circulation, ald the collector
who sticks TO his progr amme-an excellent
one-of never gong near dealer. nor fire.
quenting any auction sale, will not be
likely to have any specimens OF these III
his cabinet. But 1t is well to know that
before the mint was organized there
was coined somewhere a small supply
of the .'dismesn and half-dismes men
oned by Washington in his fourth annual
address. The want of small coins was
keenly felt, and the first President was So
evidently at one with the popular feeling
in the matter that a legend is extant thai
these small pieces were coined out of bis
silver plate. But In what mint they were
coined Is question that has been asked
but not answered. Some persons believe
that they were coined in England, but
patriotism repels such q thought. Nor Is
II necessary TO frame such a conjecture.
because there were two localities in The
land where ample preparations had been
mace for coming silver, but had been ar-
rested by the formation OF the Federal
Union, which took froA lhe States the
right of Coinage. The two points where
the ''dIsmes" and half-dlsmes could have
been coined weIe Annapolis, IN Mary land,
ana Dedham, in Massachusetts The work
was IN all probability done at the latter
place, for there has always been a strong
local tradition that the first Coins of the
Union were struck there. The dime of |
1892, or Washington dime, as collectors
ca,l it, has on the diverse young mans |
head with flowing hair, facing TO the lett. |
The date 1892 touches tine lower part OF |
he bust. Around is the legend: Liberty,
Parent of Science and Industry" On the |
-everse is a small eagle flying to the left.
With the legend, United States of Ameri- |
"a beneath the eagle is the word |
'rIsme." The first regular issue from
he Philadelphia Mint OF dimes was in
I796, whereas dollars and half dollars
md half dimes were coined In 1894. In
l794 and the succeeding year the head of
Liberty on the coins has the hair flowing
without any res raint, but In 1896 when
he quarters and dimes begin, this had
been charged, and all the coins have the
lair confined with fillet This lasted
mil 1907, when In the latter part of the
ear was issued the bead of Liberty with
he Liberty cap. This is considered with
eason the most beautiful of American
.oins, and continued without change down
% 1887 for dimes and to 1888 for quarters.
no to 1859 for half dollars and lS36-lS4O
or dollars, when the beautiful head OF
Liberty was displaced for a figure Of
liberty seated. the dollars struck in
$50 and succeeding years until 1910 were
eniaiive efforts only. the first large issue
,eIng In 1910. You can Understand tina.
t is very easy to recognize oime or half
lime with the head of Liberty among
'thers; the reverse bears an esgle with a
leraldic shield. This mas been retained
or the larger silver pieces, but the small
oiDs have a reverse which is SIMPLY in
ipid. Dimes as far back as 1914 are In