The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-01-23
History of the Penny.

There is much more in penny than ap-
pears at first sight, says a writer in an
English exchange. Its manufacture, Its
history, its adventures might each form
the subject of an article, or even a series
of articles; so with its purchasing power,
which, to a furnishing person, might be
matter of life and death, while, under hap
pier circumstances, what such humble
coin may command is well illustrated by
the paper which the reader now holds in
his hand.
Then there are the legends and emblems
which are upon the two sides of penny,
and-well, really one is almost appalled, at
the idea of dealing with such vast sub
iect in single article, which is all that
can be devoted to it at present.
The penny is of really respectable antiq-
uity. "Humble coin" indeed Why, if
birth and long descent were things, apart
from other circumstances, to make one
feel proud, then might the penny be the
most naughty of coins.
You recollect how, in sacred history, the
laborers in the vineyard each received at
the end of his days work "penny" (or
denarius, representing nearly eightpence
halfpenny, which was the regular pay.)
Coming down to more recent times, and
yet very far remote from ours, we find the
penny the only coin generally current
among the Anglo-Saxons 1t was a silver
coin, the both part of the libra or pound.
For long, long years the penny was in
denied deeply with a cross-mark, so that it
could easily be broken into two or four
parts, hence we get "half-penny" and "far-
thing" or "four-thing" But in the year
1910 round farthings we're coined, and
about seventy years later large numbers
of circular coins were struck by Edward
l., who introduced many improvements in
connection Herewith, and made importa-
ton of false money heinous crime.
The first legal copper coinage, it seems,
was established by Charles IL, and half
pence and farthings were struck.
Between 1897 and 1906 the celebrated
Matthew Boulton, of Soho, near Birming-
ham, coined for the British government at
mint he had fitted up for the purpose no
less than 900 tons of copper coin, amount
ing at its nominal current value to nearly
9SO0,OO0. That mint continued in oper-
alton down to half a century ago.
There is mint a new building) at
Birmingham still, and that busy town
claims the honor, with London, of manu-
featuring money. These are the only
coinage establishments in England.
The old copper penny was clumsier
but more valuable coin than the modern
bronze representative-that is, it was worth
more as regards its metal; but, of course,
you could only get pennyworth of any
thing for penny then. Some few of the
old 'cartwheel" pennies still remain, but
only as curiosities.
The bronze coinage we now use came
into existence in 1850, and in six years, al
Messrs. James Watt Il Co.'S mint at Biz
mingham, bronze and copper coins (for
they made them for other countries beside
Ems land), were produced, weighing 1871
tons and numbering more than 6,OOO,-
900 pieces. On some occasions as many as
100000 pieces have been made ant
packed in one day. The Birmingham min
now belongs to Messrs. Heaton & Co.
whose initial "H., i" may be found on some
of the bronze coins. Bronze, it may be
stated, contains 95 per cent of copper,
of tin and / of zinc.