Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-10-10
CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT AMERICAN
COINS

"There is really no end" said an anna.
teur coin collector, "to the list of arti.
cles collected In cabinets. | collect only
American silver coins, and | know that
there is whole world of absolutely IN
suspected 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 in existence of
the 1904 dollar, but there is every rea-
son to believe that these were restrikes
! made in 1928 by some one in the Mint at
| Philadelphia in a surreptitious and IN
lawful way for some collector who had in.
fuence. What can have become of those
dollars that have disappeared SO COM
pletely; From time to time at auction sales
one of the restrikes appears, and at each
sale fetches a greater sum. As high as
81 900 has been paid for one of them. But
what shall be said of the half dollar of
1904? OF these no less that I56, SO speci-
mems were coined, yet Lone has ever been
| discovered. A certain number of half dol
lars bearing the date 1905 will, if examined
closely, discover that the five has been
struck over four. This only shows that
was never issued from the Mint, and was
converted into 1905 pieces, but it
does not explain the total vanishing
of those that were issued. There can be
no doubt that something happened of a
mysterious character, which caused the
dollars and half-dollars to disappear, for
the quarters of that year are not particu-
| lsrly scarce a fine specimen costs only
| Sl0 and fair specimen can be had for 81.
Yet there were only 6,73S pieces OF that
denomination struck III that Annus Mira
bills for us collectors, and of dollars there
| were 10 SO There were only 32l dollars
struck the next year, and these were, in
all probability, for the cabinets of; collec.
tors, for no dollar was issued in 1905.
| Then the coinage OF silver dollars ceased,
and did not begin again until 1886. 1t
would be easy to frame the hypothesis that
| the larger American silver coins were over
weight and that merchants bought them
up and sold them for melting. 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 1905 there was very large issue
of this piece, and so on every year until
1915, when there was comparatively
small ISSUE In 1916 there was no coinage
at all of half dollars. Coins of this denomi.
nation for 1915 are rather scarce, so that
| fine specimen is worth from $40 to $40,
according to its appearance.
| at is we'll to know that before the Mint
was organized there was coined somewhere
small supply of the dismes and half
dismes mentioned by Washington in his
fourth annual address. The want of small
coins was keenly felt, and the first Presi.
dent was so evidently at one with the pop
ular feeling in the matter that a legend is
extant that these small pieces were coined
out of his silver plate. But in what Mint
they were coined is a question that has
been asked but not answered. Some per-
sons believe that they were coined m Eng
land, but patriotism repels such thought.
Nor is it necessary 90 frame such conjec-
ture, because there were two localities in
the land where ample preparations had
been made for coming silver, but had been
arrested by the formation of the Federal
| Union, which took from the States the
right of coinage. The two points where
the dismes and half-dismes could have
been coined were Annapolis, in Maryland,
and Dedham, in Massachusetts,. The work
was in all probability done at the latter
| place, for there has Always been strong
local tradition that the first coins of the
Union were struck there. The dime of
| 1892, or Washington dime, as collectors
call it, has on the diverse a young mans
head, with flowing hair, facing to the left
The date 1892 touches the lower part
of the bust. Around is the lie.
gend, Liberty, Parent Of Science
and Industry On the reverse is a
small eagle flying to the left, with the
legend, United States of America Be.
meath the eagle is the word 'Disne
The first regular issue from the Phila.
delphia Mint of dimes was in 1876, whereas
dollars and half.dollars and half-dimes
were coined in 1894. In 1894 and the sue.
ceeding year the head of Liberty on the
the coins has the hair flowing without any
restraint, but in 1896, when the quarters
and dimes begin, this had been changed
and all the coins have the hair confined
with illet. This lasted until 1907,
when in the latter part of the year was
Issued the head of Liberty with the Lib
erty cap. This is considered with reason
the most beautiful of American coins
and continued without change down to
1887 for dimes and to 1888 for quarters,
| anu w 1909 loI HAL uolais anu 1ooO lofO
for dollars, when the beautiful head of
Liberty was displaced for figure of Lib
erty seated. The dollars struck in 1886
and succeeding years until 1910 were ten
tative efforts only, the first large issue be-
ing in 1910. You can understand that it
is very easy to recognize dime or half.
dime with the head of Liberty among
others the reverse bears an eagle with a
heraldic shield. This has been retained
for the larger silver pieces, but the small
coins have reverse which is simply in
sipid. Dimes as far back as 1914 are in
circulation, but they seldom rank above
good. Dimes of 1922 are very rare, and
one in good condition is worth So
| New York Tribune.