Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-24
COMING FOR PROFIT.
HOW UNCLE SiM GATHERS MILLIONS
 FROM HIS STAMPING MACHINES.

The story of the Nickel and the Cent.
 s,iver Pieces and How They Are
 Coined The Counter and Ills Ma
 chine - The Gains of the Govern
 pent.
 Tho story of the nickle Is an interest ing ono. Very few people in this coun- try imagine how much profit Uncle Sam makes out of the stamping of these small coins. The actual cost of a nickel to the government Is not much more than thrcc-quarters of a cent. Formerly the metal was fixed. planed and prepared for use in the national work shops at the various hints, but now the metal Is pur- chased and prepared by outsiders under contract. All the government does now is to put it's stamp upon the blanks and then gather in its profit on their oircula- tion,
 The total amount of these coins issued in year will average about $500, ,OOO, and as very few of them ever return to plague the government, the actual profit to the national treasury can be easily calculated. Nickles and pennies are, of course, redeemable by tho treasury in other money when demand Is made, but that occurs only occasionally, and then the coins are sent to the mint,
 
 again.
 it Is about the same story in reference to pennies. The government buys the metal out of which they are made ready for use, and pays so much pound for 1t when 1t is cut and prepared for stamp ing. Then the mint puts the legal mark upon the coips, and they are turned out by the million. What do they cost? We'll. every cont that Is coined brings in Nf ,fay ~ t<>% %ho government. More pennies than nickels are returned to tho treasury in exchange for other money, but they are sent promptly to the mint, and soon get into the hands of the people once again. A bronze penny or nickel 5-cent piece does not wear out as rapidly as a dollar bill.
 profit to the government in the issuing of these small coins. One of the most export of men at tho suh-treasury in Wall street declared day or two since that there are still in existence some where. floating about the country, punched up in old stockings or in the hands of curiosity collectors, over 10O.- ooo, 900 of the old-fashioned copper cents. about 20, ,000, 900 of coppernickel cents, nearly 500, GOO ,OOO of the present issue of bronze pennies, 25, 5,OOO, 900 of nickel Scent pieces and about 200, 900, 900 of nickel 5- cent pieces. The total value of these outstanding minor coins Is, put in round numbers, Sl2O, ,OOO, 900, and every dollar of this Is absolut profit to the govern ment,
 The coinage of silver pieces Is done mainly by the national hints, and. strange to say, there Is more profit in the work than anything else that the mint does. Under the present law the treas ury Is required to buy and coin at least 8 ,0O0, ,OO0 worth of silver into dollars. This S2,0Q0,0 worth of silver makes nearly g, 250, ,000, so that the profit on the monthly purchase and coinage of sill yer dollars Is fully s750,O So the profit on the silver dollars, you see, Ia about $9OO0 900 year or moro, and adding to 1t the profit on the pennies and nickels brings 1t up to nearly s10.0OO.O00. Of course. there must be taken out of that the expenses of the mint, but they are a comparatively small sum.
 The process of coining silver pieces Is an interesting one. and Is the same. practically. for dimes and for dollars. l The silver bullion Is first melted and run into bars These in turn are run through immensesrollersa and flattened out to the l thickness of the coin. These silver strips arc then passed through machine which cuts them into the proper size for l the presses, the strips first having been 1 treated with a kind of tallow to prevent ! their being scratched in their passage through the cutters. The silver pieces | are then put into the feeder of the print l automatic machinery. As the smooth | pieces are pressed between the ponder l ous printing dies they receive the lettered and figured impression in a manner | similar to that of 8 paper pressed upon a l form of type; at the same time the piece | Is expanded in a slight degree and the small corrugations are cut into ite rim. into a receiver and 1t Is ready for the | counters hands!l
 The instrument used by the counter Is l not a complicated machine by any means, as one might suppose. It is simple. | copper covered tray, having raised ridges running across its surface at distance apart the exact width of dime. From the receiver the money Is dumped on to this board or tray, and as 1t Is shaken l rapidly by the counter, the pieces settle l down into the spaces between the ridges. 1 All these spaces being filled, the surplus coin is brushed back into the receiver. l and the counter has exactly ], ,25O dimes, l $125, on this tray, which number Is re- quired to fill the spaces. The tray Is then emptied into boxes, and the money Is ready for shipment.
 The dime does not pass through the weigher's hands as does the coin of a 1 larger denomination. One and one-half grains Is allowed for variation or "toler- ance," in all silver coins from a dollar down, and the deviation from the stand ard in the case of 10 cent pieces Is so trifling that the trouble and expense oi weighing the coins of this denomination Is dispensed with.
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