Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-01-02
AMERICAN COINAGE.
The First United States Mint and the First
Strictly American Coin.

AMERICAN COINAGE.
The First United States Mint and the First
Strictly American Coin.
The act which established the first
United States mint was passed on
March 8, 1891. The cornerstone of
the building was laid in a plot of
ground in Seventh street, Philadelphia,
in July, 1892, and work began late in
the Same year under David Ritten-
house, whom Washington had ap-
pointed director. It is recorded that
the first purchase of metal for coinage
consisted of six pounds OF old copper.
The earliest coinage that can be called
American was ordered by the Virginia
company, and was minted in the Ber-
mudas in 1912. But then and for long
afterwards the standard currency of
Virginia was tobacco, In 1916, how
ever, the Virginia Assembly, after
reciting that it had maturely weighed
and considered how advantageous a
quoine would be to this colony, and
the great wants and miseries which do
daily happen unto it by tho sole
dependency upon tobacco, provid-
ed for the issue of copper coins
of the denominations of two
pence, threepence, sixpence and
ninepence. But the law bore no fruit.
Seven years later, in May. 1862. the
General Court OF Massachusetts, passed
an orc.er which created q mint howse''
at Boston, and which directed the
coinage Of '12 pence, + pence and 8
pence pieces, which shall be for forme
flatt and stamped on the one side with
n. E. and on the other side with Kid,
Vld. and Id, according to the value
of each peece." This mint produced
the "oak-tree shillingsn and the pine
tree shillings,' which are now worth
from So to 81; and it continued its
operations for 81 years. During the
reign of William and Mary copper coins
were struck in England for Carolina
and New England; and for Maryland
Lord Baltimore caused silver shillings,
sixpences and fourpences to be coined
in London. In 1855 Connecticut and
Vermont established miuts of thei,
own for the striking of copper coins-
none Of which are, however, of great
scarcity; and New Jersey followed
in 1886. The rarest pieces of a date
previous to 1898 are with the
exception of the oak~tree and the pine.
tree shillings) the New York Excel
sior' cent of 17S3--worth perhaps $3.50
If in fine state; though these prices
are much lower than what are genec.
ally exacted by dealers. The "Fugios,"
| OR ''sundial cents" which have already
been alluded to as having beon struck
by James Jarvis, bore devices which
have been copied from earlier State
coins. The device on one side was Or
dered TO consist Of "thirteen circles
linked together. with the words
United States around it and tho words
we are one On the other side, a
dial with the hours expressed on the
face Of it, q meridian sun above, one
side Of which is to be the word 'Fugio,'
on tho other the year In figures. and
below the dial the words Mind
Your Business All Jarvis coins
bear the date 1887; but none
of them were actually coined
before the S0th OF September,
1888; and it is known that he had not
finished his contract in 1890 It should
be added that within each of thirteen
links that appear upon these curious
coins is the name of one Of the original
States of the Uslpa.:: The: Hrieina,
mint, in Seventh: street. PhiiaaeA nhia:
was remoYe5.sn 1881. TO. more. commo,
dious premises igs :'CiastnNt: stress.
where it still Is. 'Uht,l' 1885 thts'was'
the only mint in the United States. but
In that year branches we're established
at New Orleans, Charlotte, N. c., and
Dahlonegs, Ga. and in 1854 another
branch was opened in San Francisco,
and the coinage of each is denoted by
an initial letter which appears upon
the face OF the coin. Philadelphia, as
the parent mint, uses no Initial
Toledo Blade. # s.E@s