The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1884-01-24

How Hard Money II Ma0e-The work
OF Weighing and Assaying.

How Hard Money II Made-The Work
OF Weighing and Assaying.
New York Tribune.
"Ne don't make money here" said
Philip Van Wyck, the courteous chief
clerk ,of,the assay Office to aTribune re-
porter day or two ago; 'that is, we
don't convert bullion into coin. We re-
ceive gold and silver from depositors,
melt and assay the bullion, form it into
bars and ship the bars to the Philadel-
phia Mint, and in the course OF a few
days that institution sends us back the
CON-"
"But does the depositor have to wait
for payment until the coin gets back
from Philadelphia" asked the report
er.
mot at all, said the chiefclerk; "the
government furnishes US with a bullion
fund amounting to over $35, 0O0, 900, out
of which we pay the depositor just as
soon as the lineness of his metal is de-
termined by assay, the weight ascer-
and the value calculated. In fact, all
our deposits, except ia cases OF resmeit
and re-asssy, are made within two
days.
snow, said he, picking up bright
new eagle, lyon know how easy it is to
spend that coin. but unless you are ia
miliar with the work you can form 10
idea of the time and labor it took to
make 1t. From the time the bullion
frem which this double eagle was made
reached the mint until it was converted
into coin it passed through no less than
ten distinct processes, such as melting,
allowing, forming the metal into ingots,
rolling the iDgots into strips the thick
ness Of the coin. cutting from the strips
the 'planchets' or blanks annealing,
milling and adjusting the blanks and
coming or stamping the pieces, besides
sundry minor operations incidental to
minting. Now. examine that coin close
ly under the glass and see how we'll the
work is executed. The Romans excelled
in the art OF engraving, and many OF
their coins were masterpieces. But we
can not afford to throw up our central de-
signs in such bold relief as the Romans
did, for in the hurry and hustle of our
day and the rapid handling and piling
of coins We would soon wear the face
of of the goddess and wings off the eagle.
So, while our designs are in bold relief,
yet we make them low and protect them
as much as DO sible from abrasion and
wear by throwing up the edge of the
blank, technically called milling"
'sTne manufacturing Of dies, or the
art of die sinking, has reached great
perfection at the PHILADELPHIA mint, ("
continued Mr.. Van Wyck. and all the
coinage dies for the other minis are
made at that institution. The artist first
makes the design and then model of II
in wax three or four times larger than
the desired coin. From this model an
electrotype is taken, and then the de.
sign is transferred by means OF a Hill
engraving machine which works on the
principle of pantograPh, to a'block Of
steel the size of the com. But, as only
eagle, or shield. can be thus transferred
the stars, date and all surround
ing details. Then, after removing the
ground or the face of the block, he
strikes from the block an impression in
to and upon q second block. This Sec
ond block is hardened and ali impress
sion is transferred to a third similar
block, which we call the "parent de-
or master hub" and from which the
regular coinage dies are made. The inn
preston on the "master hub is in re-
lief or convex, while that on the work
ing or coinage die is in "intaglio," OF
cOncave.
''But let us see what they are doing in
here" said the Chief Clerk as he
stepped into the "Weigh Room,
where truck loads of silver were being
weighed. ''That scale you see there is {
model of accuracy, and will weigh from
ten thousand ounces down to the one
hundreth of an ounce. This small bal
ance weighs from twenty ounces dowI
to the one fve-thousandth part of 1
grain. In fact we must hav" accuracy
in this work, not only to check our oper
atoms. but to maintain the reputation O
this office, which is such that our STAMP
of weight and ineness passes curren
in all the commercial centers of the
| world"