The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-12-05
A visit TO the Assay ONCE.
HOW HARD MONEY IS MADE-THE WORK
MEIGHING AND AsSAYINH

| HOW HARD MONEY Is MADE-TIE WORK OF
WEIGHING AND ASsAYING.
1--WE don't make money here" SAID
| Philip Van Wyck. the courteous chief clerk
OF the Assay Office to a Tribune reporter 4
day or two agO-"tha is, we don't con-
vert bullion into coin. We receive gold
and silver from depOsitors, melt and assay
the bullion, form it into bars, and ship the
bars to the Philadelphia mint, and in the
course Of few days that institution sends
Us back the COIN"
But does the dep0sitOr have TO wait for
payment until the coin gets back from
| Philadelphia Z" asked the reporter.
Not ut all" said the chief clerk; "the
| Government furnishes ~ with a bullion
| fund amounting to over $50, 900. 900, out Of
which we pay the depOsitor just as soon a.
the tineness OF his metal is determined by
ASSAY. the weight ascertained. and the
value calculated. In fact, all our deposits,
except in cases OF remelt and reassay, are
made within two days.
Now said lie, picking up bright
new double eagle, "yOu know how easy il
is to spend that coin. but unless YOU are
familiar with the work you can form no
idea OF the time and labor It took to make
it,. From the time the bullion from which
this double eagle was made reached the
mint until it was converted into coin, il
had passed through no less than ten dis
tinct processes. such a. melting, ALLOWING,
forming the metal into ingOts. rolling
the ingOts into strips the thickness
Of the coin, cutting from the strips the
'panchets or blanks annealing, mill
ing and adjusting the blanks and coin
ing or stamping the pieces, besides sundry
minor operations incidental 10 mining
Now examine that coin closely under the
glass and see how well the work il exc
cuted. The Romans eXcelled i'm the art Of
engraving, and many Of their coins were
masterpieces. But we cannot afford 10
throw up our central designs in such bold
relief a. the Romans did. for in the hurry
and hustle OF our day and the rapid ham
ding and pilng OF coins, we would soon
wear the face of Of the goddess and the
wing of OF the eagle. 80 while our designs
are in bold relief, yet we make the IN low and
protect them a. much rs possible from
abrasion and wear by throwing up the
edge Of the blank technically called mill
ing
THE manufacture OF dies, or the art Of
'de-snking,' has reached great perfection
at the Philadelphia Mint continued Mr.
Van Wyck, "and all the coinage dies for
the other Inlnts are made at that institu-
ton. The artist first makes the design,
and then model OF It IN wax three or
four times larger than the desired coin.
From this model an electrotype Is taken,
and then the design Is transferred by
means OF a Iiill-engraying machine, which
works on the principle Of a pentograph 10
block Ol steel the size Of the coin. But
as only the principal design. such as the
head, eagle. or shield. can be thus trans
ferred, the artist fills in by hand the stars,
date, and all surrounding details. Then.
after removing the ground on the face of
the block, he strikes from the block an inn
preston into and upon second block.
This second block Is hardened and an i'm
preston l. transferred 10 third similar
block. which we call the parent die or
master hub and from which the regular
coinage dies are made. .The impression on
the master hub Is in relief. or convex,
while that on the working or coinage die
is in intaglio' or concaye.
|" But let Us see what they are doing in
here" said the chief clerk, a. he stepped
into the " weigh-room," where truck-loads
OF silver were being weighed. "That
scale you see there is a model OF accuracy,
and will weigh from ten thousand ounces
down to the one-hundredth OF an ounce.
This small balance weighs from twenty
ounces down TO the one-tive-thousandth
part OF grain. In fact. We must have ac-
curacy In this work, not only TO check our
ODeratiOns. but TO maintain the reDlItstion
Of this office, which Is such that our stamp
OF weight and hneness passes current Ia all
the commercial centres OF the World